Spreading, ascending to decumbent, sparingly branched subshrubs with branches up to 500 mm long, and rooting from some nodes that touch the soil or traverse crevices. Roots: fibrous. Branches: terete, succulent, 6-10 mm in diameter, greyish and slightly torrulose, due to scars left by older leaves, younger branches lanate (cobwebbed) becoming glabrescent, tapering, at first soft, becoming firm and deciduous towards base. Leaves: dorsiventrally compressed, spathulate, succulent, spirally arranged and densely crowded in apical rosettes up to 100-160 mm in diameter, 45-80 x 16-23 mm, at first ascending, becoming spreading and drooping lower down; petiolate, the petiole 12-18 rnm long tapering but widening again at base, 2-3 mm in diameter; both surfaces lanate and becoming glabrescent with age and deciduous from below; upper surface slightly channelled; abaxial surface with a prominent translucent midrib; margin entire, occasionally bearing a shallow lobe in the centre; base cuneate; apex obtuse. Inflorescence: a short, round-topped terminal corymb, the capitula initially hidden among the leafy crown and bearing 5-12 heads; peduncle up to 12 mm long, densely lanate, the young capitula all nodding before flowering (5-15) successively becoming erect; bracts few, linear lanceolate 5-6 x 1.5 mm, translucent, becoming smaller upwards. Capitula: campanulate 9 mm in diameter, with 12-13 phyllaries, 7-8 x 1.5-2 mm; involucral bracts 1 or 2, terete, 2-3 x 0.5 mm. Receptacle: flat, 6 mm in diameter, alveolate. Ray florets: yellow, limb 13-18 x 4, 5-5 mm, elliptic oblong, 4 nerved, corolla tube 5 mm long, cylindrical. Disc florets: tubular, 9 x 1.5 mm, with pappus of white bristles 6-7 mm long; tube white, corolla lobes linear-lanceolate, 5, white, 2 x 0.75 mm, acute, becoming recurved. Ovary: 5 mm long, white, linear, glabrous. Style: 8 mm long, reaching 0.5 mm when fully extended,5 mm beyond capitulum, white; stigma: bifid, 2.5 mm long. Stamens: anthers 3.5-4 mm long; filaments 4.5 mm long. Achene: oblong, 5 x 1 mm, pappus 6-7 mm long.
Home