''Chrysocoma cernua'' is a species of flowering plant from the family Asteraceae. It is known by many common names including: shrub goldilocks, golden heads, golden bitter bush, golden cowcud or golden hair.

Description

''Chrysocoma cernua'' is an erect leafy shrub, which grows up to 50 cm tall. Plants are perennial and possess green linear leaves. The leaves are hairless, slightly flattened and curved upward. Flowers are positioned on the ends of stems and are yellow or golden in colour. Blooms are discoid and button-like in shape.

Distribution and habitat

''Chrysocoma cernua'' is endemic to South Africa, where it can be found growing in the Cape Provinces of the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...

and Western Cape. The species has also been introduced into the United Kingdom, where it has become

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

and Australia, where it has become an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15599020 Astereae Flora of Southern America