URSINIA
Family COMPOSITAE
Ursinia species
Annual
A race of free-flowering South African annuals
of a half-hardy character, sometimes known as
Sphenogyne.
Ursinia anthemoides has leaves that are finely cut
and one and a half inches long, stems varying
in height from a foot to fifteen inches and bearing
daisy-like flowers of orange-yellow with a central
ring of dark purple, one inch across.
It has a dwarf form with orange-scarlet flowers
and a maroon central ring.
A dwarfer form is Ursinia pulchra (syn. Sphenogyne
speciosa), reaching only nine inches with orange
flowers, spotted with bronze-purple at the base.
Even dwarfer is Ursinia pygmaea, of four inches, with
freely produced flowers of glowing orange.
The seed may be sown in boxes under glass in
March, pricked off and planted in the flowering
positions in May; or it may also be sown out-of-doors
in late April or early May where the plants are
to flower and thinned when large enough to handle.
Requires a position in full sun and well-drained
soil.
Propagation is by seed.
The flowering season is from late June to Michaelmas.
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