Osteospermum hyoseroides (star of the veldt)

Osteospermum hyoseroides is native to South Africa.

Namaqualand field of Osteospermum hyoseroides (Image: Alan Wilson, South African Wildlife and Bird Photographer)

Star of the veldt is an aromatic annual with erect stems, growing to 60 cm. The green leaves have glandular hairs or are almost hairless, are oblong to oblanceolate (lance-shaped with the broadest part above the middle) and have wavy, toothed margins. The lower leaves are up to 10 cm long. Each plant has few to many compound flowerheads (known as capitula), which are held above the leaves. The ray florets (the petal-like outer flowers) are yellow to orange and the disc florets (centre parts of the flowerhead) are yellow, with dark violet apices (tips).

Osteospermum hybrids and cultivars are popular in cultivation as ornamental plants, and are also grown for use as cut flowers.

Osteospermum hyoseroides dried specimen from South Africa (Image: RBG Kew)

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Partnership aims to save plant life world wide, focusing on plants under threat and those of most use in the future. Seeds are dried, packaged and stored at a sub-zero temperature in our seed bank vault.

Description of seeds: Average 1,000 seed weight = 5.6 g. Seed dispersal is by wind.
Number of seed collections stored in the Millennium Seed Bank: Two.
Seed storage behaviour: Orthodox (the seeds of this plant survive being dried without significantly reducing their viability, and are therefore amenable to long-term frozen storage such as at the MSB)
Germination testing: 100% germination achieved when seed scarified (chipped with scalpel), imbibed on 1% agar for 28 days, at 16°C, 12/12 (5/20 seeds germinated without chipping). 100% germination achieved when seed scarified (chipped with scalpel), imbibed on 1% agar for 28 days, at 26ºC, 12/12 (9/20 seeds germinated without chipping).
Composition values: Average oil content 49.7%. Average protein content 35.1%.

Star of the veldt is easily cultivated in any good soil in a sunny position, and can be propagated by seed.

Osteospermum hyoseroides ‘Gaiety’ is currently being grown from seed at Kew in the behind-the-scenes Decorative Nursery, for use in summer 2010 display bedding.

Dried and pressed specimens of O. hyoseroides are held in the Herbarium (one of the behind-the-scenes areas of Kew). The details of one of these specimens can be seen in the on-line Herbarium Catalogue. 

Between April and October 2010, Kew and the British Museum brought a small corner of South Africa to the heart of London.

The South Africa Landscape celebrated a shared vision to strengthen cultural understanding and support biodiversity conservation across the world.

Osteospermum hyoseroides (star of the veldt) was one of the star plants featured in the Landscape.

Read Kew's South Africa Landscape blog.

Watch the video and view photos of the building of the Landscape.

Seed Information Database - Osteospermum hyoseroides