Eriocephalus ambiguus (Dc.) M.A.N.Müll.

Many-stemmed, erect, much-branched, spinescent shrubs, 0.3-0.6 m high and up to 450 mm in diameter. Older stems with grey-brown bark, deeply grooved, eventually displaying anomalous secondary growth, 10-20 mm in diameter, breaking up into independent daughter plants; young branches yellow-brown, later yellow-grey to grey-brown, irregularly sympodially branched, tips of branches spinescent, 1-18 mm long; brachyblasts 1-10 mm long, short-lived. Leaves basally semilunate, adaxially concave, those on dolichoblasts alternate, linear, 4-15 x 0.5 mm, entire, densely silver-grey shortly pilose to pilose, apex obtuse; leaves on brachyblasts scale-like, rosulate, 2-4 x 0.5 mm, entire, apex obtuse. Capitula heterogamous disciform, 4 mm long, solitary on brachyblasts, rarely in terminal racemes; peduncles 1-11 mm long, shortly pilose. Involucral bracts 4 or 5, 2.5 x 1.5 mm, green, with narrow, sometimes purplish, membranous margin, ovate, flattened, abaxially appressed sericeous. Paleae: those of marginal florets free, 2 x 1.5 mm, keeled, lanceolate, apices fringed, abaxially long-pilose, hairs septate, adaxially smooth, glabrous; those of disc florets oblong-linear, membranous, apex fringed, 1 x 0.5 mm, abaxially long-pilose, adaxially smooth. Marginal female florets 2-5, yellow, inconspicuous, 2.0-2.5 mm long; lamina absent; corolla tubular-filiform, much shorter than branched style. Style branches flattened, linear, apex acute, 1-2 mm long. Ovary (and cypsela) oblong-ovoid, slightly flattened, densely lanate at maturity. Seed 1-2 mm long, flattish, trigonous. Disc florets 5-21, yellow, functionally male with sterile ovary, 2.5-3.0 mm long; corolla tubular, widening upwards, 5-toothed; teeth sometimes tinged red-purple. Stamens 5, exserted at maturity. Style unbranched, globose, truncate with short, sweeping hairs. Receptacle after anthesis with long, soft hairs between involucral bracts and marginal paleae.