ASTERACEAE  

Rigid, erect shrubs, main stem to 60 mm in diameter; branches rigid, upright, covered in brachyblasts borne at right angles to branches, decreasing in size from base of branch to tip, each brachyblast subtended by a narrow dark brown bract. Leaves small, fleshy, knob-like, very densely spaced on branches and brachyblasts, imbricate, abaxial surface woolly-hairy, adaxial surface arachnoid. Capitula discoid, terminal, large, with 800-1000 florets. Involucral bracts 240-270, with three clearly distinguishable sections: basal shaft 6-11 mm long, narrowly transversely elliptic in cross section, strongly hygroscopic, margins with a single row of hairs and glands; hinge a dark brown band, up to 2 mm wide between shaft and lamina; lamina up to 22 mm long, with a silky sheen, deep pink fading to lighter shades with age; outermost bracts scale-like, with acuminate dark brown tips; innermost bracts with lamina longer and narrower. Receptacle conical, nude, honeycombed. Female florets discoid, +/- 20 per capitulum, positioned at regular intervals between other florets in outermost row closest to involucre, narrowing towards tip to clasp style, with very small, erect, triangular lobes. Style bifid; style branches tapering to a narrow, rounded tip, base bulbous. Cypsela with long, white, silky hairs. Pappus of 100-150 plumose bristles, slightly fused at base, tips acute or rounded. Male florets discoid, majority of florets in capitula, progressively younger towards centre, +/- same width from base to tip. Anthers with apical appendage truncate, basally long frilly-tailed. Style not bifid, with swollen cells along upper part of shaft, base bulbous. Nectary reduced or 0. Cypsela reduced and sterile, smooth, glossy. Pappus bristles 20-55, plumose, slightly fused at base, tips bulbously inflated.

Perennial herbs, acaulescent. Leaves radical, incised along margin, glabrous or woolly. Capitula disciform, solitary, on short scapes +/- equalling leaves. Involucre with scales imbricate, lanceolate. Marginal florets female, in 1 row; corolla white, bilabiate, outer lip 3-toothed, inner shorter, bipartite. Disc florets bisexual; corolla bilabiate, of same colour as marginal florets. Anthers tailed. Style shortly 2-lobed; branches scarcely divergent, semiterete, obtuse, pubescent. Cypselas ovate-oblong, rostrate. Pappus of scabrous bristles in many rows, falling with epigynous disc or annulus.

Shrubs, glandular pilose on young parts. Leaves alternate, petiolate or sessile, digitately lobed, cordate at base, pubescent when young. Capitula discoid or radiate, solitary, pedunculate, sometimes 2 together or corymbose. Involucre campanulate; bracts in 7 rows, linear, acute, scarious, glabrous; stereome undivided. Receptacle flat, honeycombed, epaleate. Rayflorets, when present, female, whitish or yellow, pistillate, in 1 row; staminodia 0. Discflorets bisexual, fertile; corolla yellow, tube cylindric, glabrous, with 5 small, lanceolate lobes; lobes strongly retrofracted. Anthers ecalcarate, caudate; with lanceolate, apical appendage; endothecial tissue polarised. Style bifid; style branches obtuse with obtuse sweeping hairs not reaching furcation; stigmatic surface basally separated but apically confluent. Cypselas sparsely hairy with elongated twin hairs and glandular hairs. Pappus of few, free, barbellate bristles in 1 row and outer row of short, triangular scales.

Shrubs, shrublets, annual or perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, sessile, filiform, lanceolate, oblong or spathulate in outline, entire, serrate or dentate to pinnatifid, with conspicuous short glands, in some species with glandular hairs and/or bristly hairs. Capitula discoid, solitary to laxly corymbose, pedunculate, terminal. Involucre narrowly to broadly cyathiform; bracts in 3 or 4 rows, lanceolate to narrowly oblong or narrowly obovate, dorsally glandular and marginally ciliate. Receptacle flat, epaleate. Discflorets bisexual; corolla yellow or occasionally purplish or turning purplish with age; tube gradually attenuating towards base, basally widened into ring-shaped foot, widening upwards, glandular, 5-lobed, lobes triangular. Anthers minutely calcarate, caudate, with branched tails; with lanceolate, apical appendage; endothecial tissue polarised. Style bifid; style branches linear to spathulate; with acute sweeping hairs not reaching furcation. Cypselas terete to somewhat flattened, cylindrical, ribbed, glandular-hairy. Pappus of barbellate or plumose bristles in 1 or several rows and outer row of entire or incised to almost bristle-like scales. x = 10 (1 report).

Annual herbs. Stem simple below, branching above into large open panicle. Leaves alternate, sessile, simple, elliptic or ovate in outline, deeply bipinnatisect, margins entire. Capitula radiate, small, in terminal panicles. Involucre campanulate or hemisherical; bracts in 2 or 3 rows, imbricate, outer somewhat smaller than inner. Receptacle convex, paleate. Ray florets female, fertile; small; corolla white, suborbicular. Style bifid; branches linear-lanceolate, obtuse. Cypselas compressed, keeled, crowned with persistent corolla, surrounded by inner involucral bract and 2 lateral, concave, receptacular paleae; pappus of 2 recurved awns, forming apparent margin to cypselas, but free from them, hidden by the 2 receptacular paleae to which they are attached at base. Disc florets bisexual, functionally male; small; corolla white, funnel-shaped, 5-toothed. Anthers with apical appendage, obtuse at base. Style undivided. Ovary of disc florets abortive. x = 9, 17 (6, 8, 29) (aneuploids, high polyploidy, B-chromosomes).