Cotula vulgaris Levyns

Spreading, annual herb. Stems 50-350 mm, glabrous, herbaceous, 1.5-2.0 mm wide. Leaves alternate, spreading, entire, 5.0-40.0 x 1.0-2.0 mm, base dilated, forming a prominent sheath around the stem, sheath 1.0-5.0 mm long; leaves linear, ± terete, leathery, light to dark green, glabrous, apices acute, margins entire. Capitula heterogamous, disciform, solitary, terminal, pedunculate, peduncles glabrous to sparsely hairy, 8.0-35.0 mm. Involucre hemispherical, 1.0-5.0 x 3.0-9.0 mm, 1-seriate, bracts broadly ovate tapering to an obtuse apex, 2.0-4.0 x 2.0-3.0 mm, glabrous, green, opaque, apex and margins scarious, five to seven veined, secondary venation prominent. Receptacle flat, epaleate; infrequent basal swelling, disciform pedicels 0.6-1 mm at anthesis, linear, uniform, attaching to florets apically. Disciform florets female, ca. 6 to 10, in single outer series, corolla absent, style 0.3 mm, ovary marginally winged, glabrous to hairy on inner face. Disc florets bisexual, ca. 35 to 50, corolla 1.0-1.1 mm long, yellow, campanulate, tube not draped basally over ovary apex, longitudinal resin canals present, limb ± twice width of tube, 4 lobed; lobes triangular, upright to spreading, dorsally tuburculate, glandular; anthers 0.5-1.2 mm long (including apical appendages), ecaudate, apical appendages ovate, acute; style terete with thickened base; branches truncate, papillate apically-dorsally; ovary marginally ribbed, glabrous. Cypselas heteromorphic; disciform cypselas ovoid, ca. 1.8 x 1.2 mm, marginally winged, wing ½ width of ovary, base cordate, inner face glabrous to sparsely hairy; disc cypselas ovoid, ca. 1.7 x 0.8 mm, marginally ribbed, glabrous.