Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Calotis hispidula
Bogan flea
Asteraceae
Variety of habitats, including pastures, disturbed ground, and damp sites. Sydney area. Western Slopes. Occasionally elsewhere.
Annual herb to 0.1 m tall, or prostrate to sprawling and often forming dense mats. Hairy to bristly. 'Seeds' 1–2.5 mm long, hairy, with 4-6 spines, barbed at the tips. 'Seeds' stick to clothing. Leaves alternating along the stems, 0.5-2 cm long, 1-8 mm wide, rough to hairy, margins entire or the margins or tips with 3-5 teeth. Flower heads about 3 mm in diameter in flower, enlarging rapidly to about 10 mm in seed, whitish green, with about 10 tiny yellow 'petals', in open many-flowered clusters, often appearing single.
Definite identification of all species of Calotis is made by examining the seeds.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Calotis~hispidula
(accessed 7 January, 2021)
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