Southern Brass Buttons

Southern Brass Buttons

Cotula australis (Sieber ex Spreng.) Hook f.

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

▲ ▼ seedlings

▲ ▼ mature, flowering plants

Cotula australis (Sieber ex Spreng.) Hook. f., Southern Brassbuttons: (Bayer Code: CULAU; US Code COAU3))

Ground-hugging annual weed native to Australia that grows 1-4 inches tall
Leaves and stems are light green, fleshy (as it matures) and stems are much-branched from the base, and along the branches
Leaves are alternate, pinnately lobed, and lobes are oval with a pointed tip; leaves may be fragrant/odorous
Tiny head inflorescences are about 0.25 inch across, with white to pale yellow disk flowers (no ray flowers)
Flower heads are at tips of bare flowering stems, and are about 1 inch diameter; no ray flowers and disk flowers are white to pale yellow; flower stalks elongate as the flower matures and produces seed
Bracts below the head are triangular and green and extend beyond the flowers as the head matures
Common in turf, landscapes, gardens, cultivated crops, disturbed sites, non-crop areas
Reproduces readily by seed