Plant identification help

[vwchevelle]

I have whole bunch of these yellow flowers plants around my house in Southern California, but I don't know what they are and if they are safe for a sulcatas diet. Could anyone help identify what kind of plant this is and if it is safe. Thanks for your help.

 

[Yvonne G]

It might be diamondia margaretea, but I'm not real sure. Let's ask @Iochroma

 

[Tom]

The leaves look like gazania, but I'm no expert. The flower also has the gazania shape, but I don't have any plain all yellow ones like that.

I'd like to know what Iochroma thinks too.

If it is gazania, its safe to eat the plants and the flowers.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'll bet you're right, Tom.

 

[Iochroma]

You guys don't need me...
Yes, It's either Gazania, or one of the close relatives (including Dymondia), or perhaps a hybrid. All good in moderation, as part of a mixed diet.

 

[Tom]

Oh we definitely need you Iochroma. Yvonne is really good with the plants, but I only knew this one because I have a bunch of it at my place. Its one of the few plants that can withstand our scorching dry summers and occasional freezing winter nights. It flowers for me all year long too. I toss flowers to the torts daily. With 50 tortoises, none of them get more than a flower or two a week, but they sure like them. One of my planters is half alfalfa and half gazania. Sometimes I accidentally clip some gazania leaves along with the alfalfa and it all gets thrown in the big bucket and mixed up. My tortoises eat it all.

 

[vwchevelle]

Thank you all for helping me identify this. I will start mixing it with all the grasses, dandelion leaves and hibiscus that we feed our tort.