Hilliardiella hirsuta (Dc.) H.Rob.

Herbaceous perennial, 0.3-1.5 m tall, with erect, annual stems from a woody rootstock; stems sparsely or more densely leafy throughout, striate, gland-dotted and densely tomentose with shaggy, greyish white hairs; eglandular vestiture of short-stalked medifixed T-shaped or Y-shaped hairs, mixed in lower part of stem with scattered long-stalked hairs. Leaves sessile, decreasing in size above, lanceolate or oblong-elliptic to obovate, 25-80 x 10-50 mm, acute or acuminate, base cordate or sub-cordate, margins sub-entire or serrulate-crenulate, drying ± discolorous, upper surface gland-dotted and sparsely pilose, lower surface gland-dotted and densely woolly-tomentose with prominent reticulate venation, vestiture of short-stalked medifixed T-shaped or Y-shaped hairs. Capitula corymbose, sometimes congested and sub-capitate, 15-to 20-flowered. Involucre campanulate, 5-8 mm diam. when pressed; bracts ±4-seriate, gland-dotted and pilose-tomentose, vestiture of medifixed T-shaped or Y-shaped hairs, outer two series subulate, 2 x 0.5 mm, inner two series oblong-elliptic, abruptly acute-apiculate or mucronate, with purple apices, 3-4 x 1-3 mm Florets purple, occasionally white or pinkish, corolla 5-7 mm long, gland-dotted and with scattered, appressed hairs distally and on lobes, vestiture of subsessile medifixed T-shaped hairs, lobes 1.5-2.0 mm long. Anthers sagittate with triangular apical appendage. Style 3.5 mm long, branches 1.5-2.0 mm long. Cypselas sub-cylindric, 4-or 5-ribbed, 2.0-2.5 mm long, densely sericeous and gland-dotted; pappus bi-seriate, outer scales 1-2 mm long, inner bristles 4-5 mm long, white.