Cymbopappus hilliardiae B.Nord.

Dense rounded erect shrubs, repeatedly branching in a somewhat di-to polychotomous fashion; young branches floccose-woolly, densely leafy, becoming nude with age and marked with persistent leaf-bases. Leaves alternate, closely set, ± spreading, filiform, 2-4 cm long, ca 0. 5 mm wide, mostly trisect above the middle, often some simple or pinnatipartite, laxly woolly and somewhat glabrescent, impressed-glandular, apically obtuse; leaf-base slightly dilated and almost half-clasping, with a central hunch, persistent as a triangular scale after abscission of the leaf. Peduncles terminal, solitary, nude, except for a few scattered simple basal leaves, 5-15 cm long, ca 1 mm thick, ribbed, laxly woolly and glandular. Involucre widely campanulate, 0.8-1.2 cm in diam. Involucral bracts ca 30-35, imbricated in about 3-4 series, glandular, laxly floccose-woolly and ± glabrescent; outer bracts narrowly oblong-lanceolate, 2-4 mm long and 0.5-1.2 mm wide, keeled and coriaceous in the middle; margins thinner, membranous, colourless or brownish; tips membranous, short, truncate or premorse; inner bracts oblong-spathulate, 5-6 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, coriaceous and keeled in the middle, with thin, often brownish margins and a somewhat dilated, membranous, light brownish or silvery, apical appendage, 2-3 mm long and wide; innermost bracts smaller, narrowly oblong-spathulate, 3-4 mm long, ca 0.5 mm wide basally, widening to 1-1.5 mm wide apically, submembranous with membranous tips. Receptacle convex, nude. Ray-florets 13-21, white-pinkish. Tube 1-1.5 mm long, slightly compressed. Lamina elliptic-oblong, 7-8 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide, 4(-5)-veined; upper surface densely colliculate; lower surface smooth, sparsely glandular; apex 3-fid. Style branches ca 0.5 mm long, truncate-emarginate; nectary short and indistinct. Staminodes usually present. Achenes ± oblong, ribbed, glandular, with mucilaginous cell layers (when soaked) especially on the abaxial side. Pappus cup-shaped, 3.5-2 mm long, white, opaque, apically premorse-truncate, abaxially emarginate (0.5-1 mm long). Disc-florets numerous (up to 200-300), yellow with often reddish tips. Corolla 2.5-3 mm long, glandular. Tube ca 1/2 corolla length, subcylindrical or subangular, somewhat spongy. Limb narrowly campanulate, not much thicker than the tube; lobes deltoid, ca 0.5 mm long. Anthers 1-1.2 mm long incl. the broadly ovate-oblong, obtuse-subtruncate, somewhat keeled apical appendage; anther base obtuse; filament collar uniformly thick, of ± equal subquadratic cells. Style branches 0.4-0.5 mm long, truncate. Achenes as in ray-florets, but pappus shorter, 0.6-1.5 mm long, abaxially somewhat emarginate. Pollen grains spheroidal to oblate-spheroidal, ca 28 x 30 ? (incl. spinules). Exine at equator (centre of mesocolpia) ca 7 ?, at poles ca 5 ? thick. Sexine (incl. spinules) ca 5 ? thick. Supratectal spinules finely pointed with solid tips, ca 2 ? long, spaced approximately 5 ? from each other. Their total number in one pollen grain 30-35 (ca 12 spinules in one mesocolpium). Tectum continuous, undulated, slightly less than 1 ? thick, with minute intratectal bacula, distinct in optical cross-section. In fratectal bacula well developed, 1-2 ?, long, usually branched distally. Nexine compact, uniform in thickness, ca 1 ? thick.