Cotula coronopifolia
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Cotula coronopifolia Sturm37.jpg
|image_caption = 1796 illustration[http://www.biolib.de Krähenfussblättrige Laugenblume, Cotula coronopifolia, Figure from Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen, Author: Johann Georg Sturm, Painter: Jacob Sturm]
|genus = Cotula
|species = coronopifolia
|authority = L.
|synonyms_ref = [http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/gcc-9364 The Plant List, Cotula coronopifolia L. ]
|synonyms = *Cotula coronipifolia L.
- Cotula integrifolia Burch.
- Cotula montevidensis Spreng.
- Lancisia coronopifolia (L.) Rydb.
}}
Cotula coronopifolia is a species of flowering plant in the aster family (Asteraceae). Commonly known as brass buttons, golden buttons, and buttonweed, it is native to South Africa and New Zealand.
Description
The flower heads are bright yellow discoid heads that look like thick buttons. Individual plants spread stems along the ground and send up the knobby flowers at intervals. The plant is native to southern Africa, as well as New Zealand, but it has been introduced to other parts of the world (Europe, North + South America, etc.).[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220003387 Flora of North America, Brass-buttons, cotule, Cotula coronopifolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 892. 1753. ]Turner, B. L. 1996. The Comps of Mexico: A systematic account of the family Asteraceae, vol. 6. Tageteae and Athemideae. Phytologia Memoirs 10: i–ii, 1–22, 43–93.Welsh, S. L. 1974. Anderson's Flora of Alaska and Adjacent Parts of Canada i–xvi, 1–724. Brigham Young University Press, ProvoMarticorena, C. & M. Quezada. 1985. Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Chile. Gayana, Botánica 42: 1–157Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. M. Welman, E. Retief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. Van Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 2(1–2): 1–152(pt. 1), 1–270(pt. 2).[http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=cotula+coronopifolia Altervista Flora Italiana, Margherita sudafricana, Cotula coronopifolia L.] includes photos and European distribution map{{Cite book |last=Stace |first=Clive |title=New Flora of the British Isles |publisher=C & M Floristics |year=2019 |isbn=9781527226302 |edition=4th |location=Middlewood Green, Suffolk |pages=798–799}}
Brass buttons are common plants that occupy a specialized ecological niche. They prefer muddy, anoxic wetlands and brackish water. They are very salt-tolerant. The plant has fat, fleshy leaves that store water during times of saline inundation. The reddish stems and green, blade-shaped leaves are coated with a shiny cuticle to retain moisture. It can also be found in the wetter patches in vernal pool ecosystems. Brass buttons are common along beaches, salt marshes, and estuaries from California to Washington.[http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Cotula%20coronopifolia.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map] It has been present in the British Isles since the late 1800s, especially on the Cheshire coast and is considered a neophyte naturalised plant.
Although brass buttons is known to be invasive, its spread appears to be relatively slow. Its California Invasive Plant Council Inventory rating is "limited",[http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/plant_profiles/Cotula_coronopifolia.php California Invasive Plant Council plant profile: Cotula coronopifolia (brassbuttons) Accessed Dec. 19, 2013] that is, "invasive but their ecological impacts are minor on a statewide level or there was not enough information to justify a higher score. Their reproductive biology and other attributes result in low to moderate rates of invasiveness. Ecological amplitude and distribution are generally limited, but these species may be locally persistent and problematic."[http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/inventory/index.php#definitions California Invasive Plant Inventory Accessed Dec. 19, 2013]
Gallery
Cotula coronopifolia 108269598.jpg
Cotula coronopifolia 2.jpg
Cotula coronopifolia 7776.JPG|Leaves sheath the stem and are entire or with a few teeth or deep lobes (Fir Island, Washington)
Cotula coronopifolia - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Cotula+coronopifolia Jepson Manual Cotula coronopifolia]
- [https://www.gbif.org/species/3112110 Cotula coronopifolia occurrence data] from GBIF
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q2998623}}
Category:Flora of the Cape Provinces
Category:Flora of the Northern Provinces