Dimorphotheca pluvialis, White Rain Daisy, Reënblommetjie

Dimorphotheca pluvialis is a glandular-haired annual herb and grows up to 30cm. It has lance-shaped, lobed to toothed leaves, and radiate flowerheads, 40-50mm in diameter. The rays are white and purple at the base and darker on the reverse side. The disc is dark purple.

Dimorphotheca pluvialis is an annual endemic to sandy and clay flats and slopes from Southern Namibia, Namaqualand and the Southern Cape.

During spring huge fields are covered with this bright white daisy, forming a dazzling mass. In their natural habitat the flowers are pollinated by small horseflies that get covered with pollen as they fly from one daisy to the next in search of tiny amounts of nectar.

These annuals are adapted to germinate, grow, flower and set seed during the rainy winter and to survive the long dry summer as seed. The seeds are interesting in that two different forms are produced. 

Flower season is between August and October. They are normally the first flowers to showcase their beauty after rain.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my post. I hope you also learned something new today.

Have a fabulous day. Till next time, please stay safe and healthy.

Coreen