Gazania cultivars.
Of all the plants seen none have features that would allow their identification as a distinct species.
Gazania rigens and G. linearis have many features in common and where they differ it is often only in the size of the parts.
G. rigens tends to have longer and narrower leaves, wider heads on longer peduncles, slightly longer involucral bracts
and longer ray ligules.
Their form does not help as G. rigens and G. rigens var. rigens are both called Clumping gazanias while
Gazania rigens var. leucolaena is the Trailing gazania.
Their habit also depends a lot on where they are growing.
Where there are distinctive differences between the plants seen they are equally divided between the 2 species.
The persistent dead leaves and involucral lobes equal to or longer than the cup would indicate G. linearis while
the absence of dead leaves and the involcral lobes being shorter than the fused bases favour G. rigens.
The species hybridise readily, most plants seen are cultivars with many variations and combinations of all features.
J.F.
