''Oedera squarrosa'' ("Vierkant-perdekaroo") is a prickly shrublet belonging to the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It is an abundant and common species in the southwestern Cape Provinces of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

( Namaqualand to Port Elizabeth). It is most commonly found in close proximity to the main mountain ranges, especially in rocky loamy or clayey soils.

Description

''Oedera squarrosa'' is a small, erect shrublet (60cm high). The leaves are small (15mm x 7mm), ovate, glandular and down-curved, with thickened margins, and grow densely packed along the stems. On the younger stems, the leaves are usually in four ranks. Older stems often have a more imbricate arrangement. Tufts of a couple of yellow flowerheads appear at the tips of the branches in Spring and Summer. They are 10mm wide, with relatively short stalks (2-10mm).

Related species

''Oedera squarrosa'' is closely related to ''

Oedera genistifolia ''Oedera genistifolia'' ("Klein Perdekaroo") is a prickly shrublet belonging to the family Asteraceae. It is an abundant and common species in the southwestern cape, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RS ...

'', another widespread species that is found on lower (usually north-facing) slopes of shale, sandstone or limestone. However, ''O. squarrosa'' has wider leaves (7 mm) that are more recurved or down-turned.

References

* {{Taxonbar Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces squarrosa Renosterveld