About Gazania ciliaris DC.
Gazania ciliaris DC. produces flowers that vary in color, most commonly from yellow to orange, and are borne on distinctly setose to ciliate (hairy) petioles. The flower's involucre is glabrous, shaped sub-cylindrically, and has a distinctive fleshy truncate base. The bracts or scales of the involucre are a distinguishing feature of this species. At the top of the involucre, there are typically two or three rows of terminal scales. These scales are finely acuminate, and the margins of the inner row are distinctly ciliate. Along the entire length of the involucre, there may also be several parietal scales, which are usually deltoid acuminate and arranged somewhat in a row around the involucre, a characteristic this species shares with Gazania linearis. The leaves of Gazania ciliaris are linear or linear-lanceolate, and can be either simple or pinnate. The upper surface of the leaf is usually rough, while the lower surface is tomentose, appearing white and woolly. Distinctive spine-like cilia or hairs usually grow along the lower leaf margins. In terms of growth form, G. ciliaris is a compact herbaceous perennial that forms basal rosettes, and only produces relatively short stems. Unlike Gazania linearis, the bases of old dead leaves do not typically persist around the stem of this species.
