Capeweed (Arctotheca calendula), a component of pasture

Abstract

Capeweed is a common component of pastures in south-western Australia and can become a dominant component in some years during autumn and subsequently in winter and spring. Capeweed is selected by sheep grazing these pastures, based on data from analyses long-chain alkanes in faeces of sheep grazing these pastures (unpublished data). Characters that can contribute to the nutritive value of capeweed harvested from an ungrazed pasture at Bakers Hill, WA, over three years are presented here.