Eriocephalus africanus L.

Much-branched, spreading to erect, conical shrubs, 0.3-0.9 m high, up to 4 m in diameter. Old stems displaying anomalous secondary growth, grey-brown to grey-black; young shoots red-brown to grey-green and densely leafy, silvery grey to green-grey, permanently hairy to glabrescent, internodes relatively long; older branches and stems yellow-brown to grey-brown to brown to shiny red-brown, rigid or slender. Leaves mostly opposite, sometimes even in whorls of 3, alternate on flowering shoots, sparsely spaced on dolichoblasts, (5-)8-17(-40) x 0.4-2.5 mm, palmatisect with 3-7 lobes or pinnatisect with 3 lobes distally or 3 lobes proximally or entire, adaxially flattened but basally almost triangular to concave, abaxially convex, succulent or not, blue-green to grey-green to silver-grey, appressed silver-sericeous to densely felty sericeous, permanently hairy to glabrescent, apex obtuse to acute; lobes linear to clavate, straight or slightly curved inwards. Capitula heterogamous radiate, in terminal or lateral umbellate racemes or paniculate, 3.5-4.0 mm long; peduncles almost absent to 26 mm long, permanently sericeous to glabrous. Involucral bracts 4-6, oblong to ovate to obovate to lanceolate, 2.0-3.5 x 1.0-2.5 mm, central part green, herbaceous with light brown to red-purple membranous margin, margin fringed to entire, permanently sericeous to glabrous. Paleae: those of marginal florets connate, forming cylindrical sheath with free apices, adaxially smooth or sometimes with septa, abaxially long-lanate, hairs septate; those of disc florets lanceolate to oblong, slightly flattened, membranous, margins and abaxially long-lanate. Ray florets 3-5, female, 2-4 mm long; corolla distinctly strap-shaped; lamina 2-5 mm long, white to pale red-purple, cuneate to broadly cuneate. Style branches flattened, apices acute. Ovary oblong to obovoid, slightly flattish, trigonous, long-lanate. Seed obovoid, flattened, 1.3-2.5 mm long. Disc florets 2-27, functionally male with sterile ovary, 2-5 mm long; corolla tubular to trumpet-shaped, red-purple or yellow in proximal part and red-purple in distal part. Style unbranched, cylindrical, globose, with sweeping hairs. Stamens 5. Receptacle after anthesis with dense, white, long-pilose indumentum between involucral bracts and connate marginal paleae.

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows near the coast.

The leaves can be used as a flavouring like rosemary.

Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.