Cymbonotus Species, Darling Daisy

This rare and spectacular native Australian daisy is a distant relative of the Arctotis and Arctotheca genera of Africa, and is possibly ...Read Morea relic species from Gondwanaland. It is one of only 3 species of Cymbonotus, which is an endemic Australian genus. The other two species are C. lawsonianus and C. preissianus. C. maidenii is the most spectacular of the three.
C. maidenii is an annual or biennial. The leaves are sinuately toothed or lyrately lobed, green on top but white tomentose underneath. The flower stalks are up to 20cm high, solitary or branched. The flowers are about 3-5cm across, are bright yellow or sometimes orange-yellow, and highly fragrant. The perfume can only be described as overwhelming, pungent, or so strong as to be sickly sweet. The flowers are highly attractive to native bees and some small bugs, butterflies and ants, as well as the introduced honey bee.
The plant grows on the floodplains of the Murray-Darling River system in Australia, and prefers deep black, self-mulching, cracking clay soils. It is sometimes found on red mitchell grass soils. It prefers neutral to alkaline pH. In cultivation it can be grown on acid soils but seems to require more water to succeed. This problem can be countered if lime or dolomite is added.
Prior to European settlement, its preferred habitat was probably grasslands, sedge fields or wetlands in Lignum (Muehlenbeckia spp.) and Creek wattle (Acacia stenophylla) communities, and around the edges of depressions and shallow channels on floodplains. Since the coming of agriculture, it has found a home on the edges of cultivated land and along roadside drainage ditches and irrigation channels. The plants are undoubtedly favoured by cultivation, however these habitats are perilous due to the frequency of spraying, slashing, and mechanical disturbance in such areas.
It usually germinates in winter or spring if rainfall is adequate. By summer it can sometimes be found growing on the plains in sodden soil or even in shallow water. In cultivation however it detests wet feet and needs moist conditions but excellent drainage. The reason for this apparent contradiction is not known. There are clearly drainage and oxygenation factors at play in its native habitat that are difficult to replicate in the garden.
Seed is set soon after the flower wilts. Once dry these quickly fall. Germination succeeds best after stratification (placing the seed in the fridge for a few weeks to a few months prior to sowing). Sow in trays or directly. Keep moist. Germination can be slow to very slow, depending on the conditions. Sometimes seedlings will appear in 1-3 weeks, other times the seed will sit there for months. In this case, germination can sometimes be promoted by scarifying the soil lightly and then watering. Rainfall will often promote germination many months after sowing. The seed has very long viability and can sit dormant for many years on the floodplains, just waiting for the right conditions to germinate.
In one summer on the Darling Downs, following heavy rainfall, over 3000 plants appeared suddenly along a stretch of road where the plant had never been observed before.
Propagation can sometimes be achieved from root cuttings. I once removed the roots from a wilted plant that had been ripped out by cultivation and planted them roughly into a pot of soil. To my surprise, many new plants emerged from the pieces of root close to the surface!