Osteospermum moniliferum: Қоңырбас бұтасының сипаттамасы мен таралуы

Species of plant

Osteospermum moniliferum (synonym Chrysanthemoides monilifera) is an evergreen flowering shrub or small tree in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to southern Africa, ranging through South Africa and Lesotho to Mozambique and Zimbabwe. or bietou, tick berry, bosluisbessie, or weskusbietou in South Africa. The plant has become a major environmental weed and invasive species in Australia and New Zealand. The species name moniliferum comes from the Latin, monile, meaning necklace or collar, referring to the shiny fruit arranged around the flowers like a necklace. In New Zealand subspecies are not distinguished and O. moniliferum is known simply as 'boneseed'.

Boneseed is a perennial, woody, upright shrub, growing to , although occasionally taller. Both boneseed and bitou bush hybridise readily, however, so examples of plants demonstrating a fusion of traits is possible. Subspecies moniliferum is concentrated around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula on South Africa's south western coast, where its native habitats include the Cape Flats Dune Strandveld. Subspecies septentrionale is native to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and the Northern Provinces.

In Australia, subspecies rotundatum (bitou bush) has naturalised along the coast of Queensland and New South Wales, while subspecies moniliferum (boneseed) has naturalised along and near the coast in parts of Victoria and South Australia. and in areas exposed to salt such as coastlines, as well as the ability of the seeds to germinate readily. Seeds can also spread on vehicles and equipment, in contaminated soil, in garden waste, along water drainage lines and deliberately by human intervention. found that Mesoclanis polana is actually the most frequent pollinator of O. moniliferum. Because O. moniliferum is a weed of National Significance in Australia, that oversight could potentially be devastating to Australian ecosystems. Much like the introduction of the cane toad to control the population of cane beetles, such a discovery is an important reminder about the importance of thoroughly researching biological control agents before introducing them into new ecosystems.