creeping capeweed
U.S. Nativity: Exotic
Habit: Forbs/Herbs
Arctotheca prostrata (Salisb.) Britten
Jump to: Distribution Maps | Sources
Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Asterales: Asteraceae
Appearance
A low-growing short-lived (i.e. annual) herbaceous plant with semi-flowering stems reaching up to 11.8 in. (30 cm) tall. Prior to flowering it is either stemless and forming a basal rosette, or has short creeping or sprawling stems.
Foliage
Its simple leaves are mostly basal and somewhat elongated in shape with toothed to deeply lobed margins. These leaves 2 to 10 in. (5-25 cm) long and 0.8 to 1.4 in. (2-6 cm) wide have hairless or slightly hairy (upper surfaces that are green in color and whitish, densely felty-hairy undersides.
Flowers
The petals 0.4 to 1 in. (1-2.5 cm) long are pale yellow with brighter yellow bases and greenish or purplish colored undersides. Flowering occurs mainly during late winter.
Fruit
The dark brown seeds are oblong in shape 0.08 to 0.1 in. (2-2.5 mm) long and densely covered in a brownish or pinkish colored fluffy wool. The top of the seed has a ring of 6-8 tiny scales.
Ecological Threat
Capeweed is a troublesome weed in pastures, crops and home gardens. In newly sown pastures it can smother grass and clover seedlings, and in drier regions it can often dominate overgrazed pastures. It can also taint milk and high nitrate levels in plants have caused livestock deaths.
EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org 		 


State List
This map identifies those states that list this species on their invasive species list or law.

Invasive Listing Sources:
California Invasive Plant Council