Glossocardia Cass.

Annual or perennial herbs with a thin to woody taproot. Branches few to numerous from the caudex, foliose or almost leafless, glabrous. Leaves basal and/or cauline, alternate, sometimes opposite above, sessile or petiolate (see note below), pinnatipartite to pinnatifid or bipinnatifid (sometimes simple). Inflorescence of capitula solitary on scape-like peduncles, or loose terminal cyme. Capitula radiate; peduncles to 12 (–15) cm long; involucral bracts becoming fused at base, 1–4 seriate, ± equal; outer bracts herbaceous; inner bracts with scarious margins, sometimes sparsely ciliate; receptacle ±flat to hemispherical; paleae linear to narrowly lanceolate, scarious, cauducous. Ray florets female (sterile elsewhere), 0–12 (–17), (rarely 2-or) 3-lobed, yellow, white, pink, red or purple. Disc florets bisexual (functionally male elsewhere), numerous, 4-or 5-lobed. Achenes oblong to linear-lanceolate, straight or involute, strongly compressed, 1-or 3-ribbed, brown to black; pappus of 2 barbed awns.