Botao-de-ouro

Jaegeria hirta, known in Brazil as botao-de-ouro ("button of gold"), is a small annual herb of the Asteraceae family widespread throughout the Neotropics from Mexico to Argentina, where it has also become naturalised in parts of Africa and Asia. It typically grows 10 to 60 cm tall, with erect to ascending, often reddish, hispid-pubescent stems branching from the base. The opposite, sessile leaves are ovate to lanceolate, 1 to 5 cm long, with crenate-serrate margins and three conspicuous main veins, hairy on both surfaces. The small capitula, 4 to 8 mm across, are borne on short terminal peduncles and bear 5 to 8 yellow ray florets surrounding a yellow disc; the involucral bracts are conduplicate, each enfolding the base of a ray achene. Achenes are obovoid, dark and lack a pappus. The species favours moist, disturbed soils, pastures, ditches and ruderal habitats.