Eriocephalus pauperrimus Merxm. & Eberle

Erect to spreading, many-stemmed, much-branched shrubs, 350-450 mm tall and in diameter. Older stems displaying anomalous secondary growth, sometimes twisted and distorted, grey to grey-black; young shoots felty, glabrescent, whitish, sparsely leafy; brachyblasts short-lived, alternate. Leaves alternate, densely imbricate on brachyblasts, scattered on young shoots, linear, 4-8 x 0.5 mm, those on brachyblasts 1-2 x 0.5 mm, entire, adaxially slightly flattened, concave towards base, abaxially convex, slightly keeled towards apex, surface pitted with glands in cavities, grey-white, apex obtuse, base widened, semi-amplexicaul; leaves at growing point cobwebby/felty, glabrescent. Capitula heterogamous disciform, terminal, spicate, 4-6 x 2-3 mm, alternate, sessile, compact. Involucral bracts 4, narrowly ovate, 4 x 2 mm, apex obtuse, narrow, herbaceous, green, central part with broad membranous margin, glabrous, surface pitted, glands in cavities. Paleae: those of marginal florets free, lanceolate, 2.0 x 0.5 mm, membranous, margins fringed, abaxially long-lanate, hairs septate; those of disc florets narrowly lanceolate to linear, margins fringed, abaxially long-lanate. Marginal female florets 1,2.0-2.5 mm long; corolla tubular with short, linear to narrow cuneate lamina, yellow, glandular abaxially, shorter than style branches but longer than point of branching of style. Style branches flattened, linear, 1.2 mm long, apex acute. Ovary (and cypsela) obovoid, flattened, long-lanate, glandular. Seed narrowly obovoid, slightly flattened, 1.5 mm long. Disc florets 1-4, functionally male with sterile ovary; corolla 2-3 mm long, tubular to trumpet-shaped, yellow with red-purple margin, 5-toothed, abaxially glandular. Stamens 5, exserted at maturity. Style truncate, with sweeping hairs. Receptacle after anthesis with long hairs between involucral bracts and marginal paleae. Flowering time: correlated with rainfall, January to March and June to September in summer-and winter-rainfall areas respectively.