Blue-eyed daisies bloom like a sky beneath your feet, beautiful and mysterious

Osteospermum is a genus in the Calenduleae tribe of the Asteraceae family. Osteospermum was originally part of the genus Dimorphotheca, from which it was later split off; only the annual species remain in that genus, while the perennial species were placed in Osteospermum. Osteospermum is a close relative of the genus Chrysanthemoides. The scientific name Osteospermum comes from the Greek word for "bone" and the Latin word for "seed". It is also known as African daisy, South African daisy, Cape daisy and blue-eyed daisy, among other names. The genus Osteospermum contains about 50 species, all native to Africa, of which 35 are found in southern Africa and Arabia. They are semi-hardy plants, so wild Osteospermum cannot withstand winter.

Osteospermum

The plant grows 20cm~50cm tall, upright or trailing, with a typical basket-shaped flower head: a round central disc surrounded by radiating ray florets, which are sometimes spoon-shaped, while the central disc shows different colors, including blue, yellow and purple. The ray florets come in white, cream, yellow, pink, purple and purplish red, and sometimes show different colors on the two sides. The flowering period can last from February to July, and if the climate is suitable, it can even extend into autumn.

Osteospermum

With its varied flower forms, rich and colorful flower colors, compact and low-growing habit, and a flowering period lasting several months, it attracted the attention of European and American horticultural circles as soon as it was discovered and was quickly used in gardens. Osteospermum has been widely used as a potted and ground-planted flower in countries such as Europe and the United States, and many European countries have already carried out large-scale commercial production. At the same time, many new cultivars have been bred through interspecific and inter-varietal hybridization.

Osteospermum

Since 2006, a new flower, the "blue-eyed daisy", began to be used in gardens and quickly became popular, briefly becoming a new favorite in the flower market. Osteospermum is a plant of the genus Osteospermum in the Asteraceae family, such as Cape daisy, South African daisy, African daisy and blue-eyed daisy, among others. Some companies in China translate this type of flower as African marigold, but clearly these plants do not belong to the genus Tagetes; some companies translate the English name literally as African daisy, but these plants also do not belong to the genus Bellis; some companies in Taiwan, China translate it as "blue-eyed daisy", which, by its name, is not easily confused with plants of other genera in the Asteraceae family and also reflects some of its morphological characteristics, so we consider blue-eyed daisy to be a more suitable name for this type of flower. During the time in Europe, it was exactly this type of flower plant that served as research material, so there was the opportunity to learn about this type of flower from many aspects.