Florida tasselflower, Emilia fosbergii

One would think that such a pretty flower would get more attention. Florida tasselflower is probably not originally from Florida. It now grows in the tropical zone around the world. But no one knows where it started. We mostly can tell where plants originated because they leave some kind of history. They are mentioned in old writings, or their remains are unearthed by archeologists. Tasselflower has no pre-Columbian history to give us a clue to its origin. Florida tasselflower now grows in CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, and TX. St. Lucie Co FL, 1/27/13. Aster family, Asteraceae.