ASTERACEAE  

Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes scandent. Leaves opposite, sessile or petiolate, usually scabrid or hairy, margins toothed, rarely 3-lobed. Capitula discoid or radiate, many-flowered, solitary or in lax corymbs . Involucre hemispherical; bracts in 1-3 rows, inner enfolding ray florets. Receptacle convex or conical, paleate; paleae oblong to obovate, boat-shaped, conduplicate and enclosing disc florets. Ray florets female, fertile or sterile; corolla yellow, strap-shaped, lamina 2- or 3-toothed, longer than tube; ovary keeled on face or with narrow, marginal wings. Disc florets bisexual, fertile; corolla yellow; tube slightly widened upwards and abruptly contracted at base, 5-toothed. Anthers obtuse or shortly sagittate at base; with ovate, apical appendage. Style swollen at base, with linear, apiculate, glandular-pilose branches. Cypselas obovoid, 3- or 4-angled, laterally compressed, apically usually truncate or concave. Pappus of caducous awns or bristles. x = 5 (8-1 report) (polyploidy).

Annual or perennial herbs, unarmed. Leaves alternate, dentate-pinnatifid. Capitula discoid or disciform, pedunculate, solitary. Involucre urceolate, much shorter than florets; bracts appressed, coriaceous; appendage a short, erect to deflexed, deciduous spine. Marginal florets neuter; with staminodes; corolla purple, rarely white, longer than bisexual central florets. Disc florets bisexual, fertile; corolla purple, rarely white. Anthers caudate at base. Cypselas obovoid, many-ribbed and transversely rugulose between ribs, glabrous with apical rim, lateral detachment area large and surrounded by whitish, swollen margin, with elaiosome. Pappus double, outer of linear-subulate, persistent scales; inner generally a single, abaxial scale. x = 11.

Erect or dwarf shrubs, somewhat ericoid, dense or lax, often glandular. Leaves alternate, crowded, linear or linear-lanceolate, sessile, apex mucronate or with curved mucro, with revolute or thickened margins, glandular-hairy or woolly (hair type B). Capitula radiate, solitary, rarely clustered, terminal, sessile or pedunculate. Involucre campanulate or turbinate; bracts in 5-7 rows, glandular or hairy on back; stereome undivided. Receptacle flat, smooth or sometimes honeycombed, epaleate. Rayflorets female, in 1 row, deep yellow, fertile; corolla tubular below, with narrowly elliptic 3-toothed lamina. Style branches linear, obtuse at apex; stigmatic papillae confined to marginal bands on inner faces and confluent at branch tips. Discflorets bisexual, fertile or rarely functionally male; corolla deep yellow, glandular-hairy, cylindric below, abruptly campanulate or more gradually widened above, 5-lobed. Anthers ecalcarate, caudate; with deltoid or oblong-obtuse apical appendage; endothecial tissue polarised. Style branches (when fertile) oblong, slightly branched at obtuse tips, minute pollen-sweeping papillae on outer faces; stigmatic bands marginal on inner surfaces, not meeting at tip. Cypselas cylindric or fusiform, 10-15-ribbed, glabrous or hairy. Pappus if present, of acute scabrid bristles, caducous or persistent.

Subshrubs. Leaves alternate, entire, dentate or rarely sublyrate, decurrent, hairy. Capitula disciform, few together in terminal corymbose clusters or solitary; flowers mauve. Involucre ovoid-campanulate or hemispherical; bracts in many rows. Receptacle epaleate, dome-shaped and centrally depressed with marginal ridge. Marginalflorets female, in many rows, situated on vertical outer face of marginal receptacle ridge; corolla filiform, 3-lobed. Discflorets functionally male, tubular, widening upwards, 3-5(6)-lobed, situated in central depression of receptacle. Anthers calcarate and caudate; cells of filament collar flattened; endothecial tissue radial. Style undivided; with obtuse sweeping hairs distally. Cypselas distinct, stout, subterete, 5-10-ribbed, hairy with straight hairs; without resin ducts. Pappus 0.

Shrublets or somewhat woody annuals, greyish-woolly to almost glabrous. Leaves alternate, slender, usually mucronate. Capitula radiate, many-flowered, solitary, on long peduncles or sometimes corymbose. Involucre campanulate; bracts in 4-7 rows, +/- oblong, sometimes with dark margins, usually chartaceous and glandular. Receptacle nude or sometimes fimbriate. Ray florets female, cylindric, with minutely 3-toothed lamina +/- as long as tube; ovary linear, glabrous or pilose. Style slender with linear, obtuse branches. Pappus of narrow, membranous paleae. Disc florets bisexual, fertile, rarely some sterile, corolla tube glandular, with 5 lanceolate lobes. Anthers tailed, with an oblong, apical appendage. Ovary linear. Style linear, with linear, truncate branches, penicillate at apex. Pappus double, of membranous paleae and 4 or 5 plumose bristles +/- as long as corolla. x = 7, 8, 17 (polyploidy).