Annual Yellowtop
Senecio gregoriiOne of the iconic wildflower images in Central
Australia is the sight of the Annual Yellowtop that can carpet the countryside
in spring, usually when the region had good autumn or winter rains. These yellow
daisy like flowers are an annual, although they may not appear during drought
times. The yellowtop can reach a height of 30 cm with a yellow centre surrounded by 7-8
petals. The flower centre can be up to 1 cm in diameter with petals spaced apart
in a star like formation and up to 2 cm in length. When the flower set seed it
changes into a head of densely white silky bristles. |