Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Mediterranean shrubland
Range: Southern Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Bulbs
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A South African native turned prolific invader of Mediterranean climates, Bermuda buttercup spreads through masses of tiny underground bulbils rather than seeds — making eradication nearly impossible once established. Its cheerful five-petalled yellow flowers fold shut at night and on cloudy days in a behaviour called nyctinasty.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Oxalis
Species: Oxalis pes-caprae