Cotula coronopifolia L.   Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)   South Africa   Common Brass-Buttons    African Brass-Buttons

                                          March Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Perennial, decumbent or repent, fleshy, glabrous, branched; stems 2-3 dm. long, rooting from nodes; lvs. 2-7 cm. long, linear-oblong to oblanceolate, entire to coarsely and deeply few-toothed, with broad rachis, 8-10 mm. broad; heads depressed, 6-15 mm. diam., bright yellow; phyllaries oblong, 3-5 veined, +/- anthocyanous (showing anthocyanin in the herbage, a class of soluble glucoside pigments producing reddish or purplish coloring); pistillate fls. in 1 row, on pedicels as along as invol., without corolla; disk-fls. on much shorter pedicels, numerous; aks. winged, almost 2 mm. long.

Habitat:  Common on mud and moist banks, about salt marshes, etc., many Plant Communities; cismontane and occasionally to desert edge; Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Ids.  March-Dec.

Name:  Greek, cotula, a small cup and refers to a hollow at the base of the leaves.  Coronopifolia means the leaves are like those of Coronopus whose common name is Swinecress and which is a naturalized member of the Mustard Family.  Coronopus is from two Greek words meaning crown and foot.  (Dale 61).

General:  Common in the study area.   The photographed specimens were along Back Bay Dr. in Big Canyon.  (my comments).     The Spanish Californians called the plant "Boton de Oro", that is, Gold Button.  The foliage when crushed gives out an odor between lemon-verbena and camphor.  (Dale 61). 

Text Ref:  Abrams, Vol. IV 402; Hickman, Ed. 242; Munz, Calif. Flora 1273; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 153; Roberts 10.

Photo Ref:  Feb-Mar 83  # 12,13; Jan 1 84 # 8.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

First Found: March 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 164.

No plant specimen.

Last edit  7/30/05.

                                    January Photo                                                                                March Photo