Arctotheca calendula (sterile/fertile capeweed)

Arctotheca calendula

Photo courtesy Joseph DiTomaso

Arctotheca calendula (sterile/fertile capeweed) is a rosette-forming perennial (family Asteraceae) found in coastal prairies of the San Francisco Bay area and California’s north coast. An infertile type of capeweed is cultivated for use as an ornamental groundcover, and a fertile type has also been introduced. The infertile type is very competitive and can escape cultivation locally via creeping stolons, but fertile capeweed can spread faster, typically colonizing open or disturbed sites with exposed soil. Fertile capeweed is a major agricultural weed in Australia.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: Moderate - Alert

Cal-IPC Resources on Arctotheca calendula

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (fertile) (pdf); (sterile) (pdf)- Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Species account from Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Includes biology and management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Arctotheca calendula.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. List of articles on Arctothec calendula.
• Don't Plant a Pest! - Select your region to find non-invasive alternatives to ornamental species. Also see our statewide brochure on trees.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• (1993). California Exotic Pest Plant Council draft list exotic plants of greatest concern October 1993. CalEPPC News. 1: 6.
• Connick, S. and M. Gerel (2005). Don't sell a pest: A new partnership to prevent plant invasions through horticulture. Cal-IPC News. 13: 4-5,14.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• Connick, S. and M. Gerel (2004). Partnering to prevent invasions of plants of horticultural origin. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2004. Ventura, CA.
• Cooper, V. K. and B. J. Moritsch (1999). Weeding the wilderness: Non-native plant management at Point Reyes National Seashore. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '99. Sacramento, CA.
• O'Connell, R. A. (1997). Hydrilla: A case study: The state of California's noxious weed eradication programs. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '97. Concord, CA.
• O'Connell, R. A. (1999). The state of California's noxious weed eradication programs. California Exotic Pest Plant Council. Sacramento, CA.

Other Resources on Arctotheca calendula

• USDA PLANTS database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium.
• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.
• The Nature Conservancy Management Summary - Information compiled by TNC land managers. Photos included for some species.
• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Natural Resource Projects Inventory - State database with information on resource management projects throughout California. Query by the species of interest.

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