FELICIA ANGUSTIFOLIA

Felicia is a genus of small shrubs, perennial or annual herbaceous plants, with 85 known species, that is assigned to the daisy family (Asteraceae). Like in almost all Asteraceae, the individual flowers are pentamerous, small and clustered in typical heads, and which are surrounded by an involucre of, in this case between two and four whorls of, bracts. In Felicia, the centre of the head is taken by yellow, seldomly whitish or blackish blue disc florets, and is almost always surrounded by one single whorl of mostly purple, sometimes blue, pink, white or yellow ligulate florets and rarely ligulate florets are absent. These florets sit on a common base (or receptacle) and are not individually subtended by a bract (or palea).

Most species occur in the Cape Floristic Region, which is most probably the area where the genus originates and had most of its development. Some species can be found in the eastern half of Africa up to Sudan and the south-western Arabian peninsula, while on the west coast species can be found from the Cape to Angola and one species having outposts on the Cameroon-Nigeria border and central Nigeria. Some species of Felicia are cultivated as ornamentals and several hybrids have been developed for that purpose.

Shown here is Felicia angustifolia, sometimes referred to as F. hyssopifolia. It is a well branched subshrub, becoming rather straggling with age, to 30cm or more in height. Leaves linear, 8-12mm long, softly hairy. Flowerheads 2.5cm or more across, the ray florets blue or mauve, on long naked stalks. Several hybrids have been developed of more compact and bushier habit, that flower profusely in late Spring to Summer.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.