Authors: Benth.  

Botanical Description

Loosely tufted, with slender ascending to decumbent stems to 20cm or more long. Leaves mainly on the lower parts of the stems, narrowly oblong to lanceolate or linear, 2-7cm long, somewhat hairy, light grey-green. Flowers solitary from the upper leaf axils, six-petalled, bowl-shaped, 1.5-2.5cm across, cream with a primrose-yellow eye, late spring to autumn, depending on sowing date. Native to various soil types in semi-desert, grassy places and light woodland, below 1000m. Variable in the wild, the following variations are rarely seen in cultivation but worth acquiring. P.c. var. omithopus is rather smaller than the type with hairless leaves. Var. ciliatus stays equally small but has slightly pilose leaves. Var. horridulus develops to normal size but produces almost flat flowers followed by seed capsules covered in stiff white hairs. Var. crinitus is extra long-hairy throughout and has entirely yellow blooms.