About Craspedia variabilis J.Everett & Doust
Craspedia variabilis grows between 10 and 60 centimeters tall, and produces one to five flower spikes surrounded by a rosette of leaves. Additional leaves are scattered along each flower spike. Each individual leaf is spoon-shaped, measuring roughly 5 to 13 centimeters long and 5 to 20 millimeters wide. Leaf color ranges from pale green to olive-green, and the flower spike ranges from straw-colored to reddish. Both the leaves and flower spike are covered in hairs. This species has thick, spreading, woolly roots, and broad, reddish, overlapping leaf bases that remain at the base of the flower spike. Flowers bloom from early spring to early summer, forming a hemispherical head that holds 40 to 100 small, golden-yellow individual flowers, each attached to a short stalk. Craspedia variabilis grows in a wide range of habitats, but is never found in alpine environments. In Western Australia, it grows on seasonally wet flats, granite outcrops, and slopes. In the Sydney region, it is described as widespread in open forests and grassland. Commonly called billy buttons, this plant can be propagated from seed and grown in full sun. It will grow in any type of soil that is not excessively wet. It can be grown as an annual, and works well either as a single specimen or planted in mass as a bedding plant.
