Aspilia mossambicensis (Oliv.) Wild

Perennial herb or shrub 10–250 cm high, with a single or many stems from short rootstock with numerous fibrous roots and stiff branching; stems often reddish or purple near base; branches scabrid-pubescent, sometimes also glandular.. Leaves sessile or with petiole to 1 cm long, ovate, narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 2.5–20 cm long, 1–8.5 cm wide, base rounded to cuneate, margins serrate or subentire, apex attenuate or acuminate, less often obtuse, very scabrid on both surfaces; 3-veined from base.. Capitula terminal and solitary or in few-headed lax racemes; stalks of individual capitula to 14 cm long; involucre ovoid, 2–3-seriate, 5–17 mm long; outer phyllaries foliaceous, green, scabrid-pilose and sometimes glandular; paleae 6.5–12 mm long with acute to attenuate apex, keel often purple.. Ray florets cream, yellow to orange, (5–)7–17, with or without styles, the ray 7–18.5 mm long, to 6.5 mm wide, tube 1.5–4.5 mm long; disc florets cream, yellow or orange, sometimes with purple line down from the lobes, 5.5–9 mm long, the lower part of tube and lobes puberulous; anther appendages yellow.. Achenes narrowly obovoid or sub-cylindrical, 2.5–5.5 mm long, pubescent to almost glabrous; pappus a lacerate cupule to 1 mm high and with or without 1–2 setae to 3 mm long.. Fig. 158 (page 752).