Annual or perennial
herbs. Leaves linear to ovate, simple; margin
entire or ± dentate. Capitula heterogamous, radiate;
ray florets female, in 1 series, often
blue or violet; disk florets tubular, bisexual, yellow,
their lobes spreading, sometimes with red margins. Phyllaries
3-4-seriate, imbricate; outer much shorter than inner. Achenes
oblong, flattened, ± hairy and always glandular.
Pappus hairs scabrid, whitish to yellowish, in 2,
sometimes indistinct, rows. Worldwide: c.250 species, America, Europe and Asia; 17 in Africa. Zimbabwe: 4 taxa. |
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