Marasmodes trifida S.Ortiz

Weak, single or few-stemmed, sparsely leafy shrublets, 0.3-0.4 m tall. Leaves alternate, restricted to upper branches or branch tips, caducous, suberect to spreading, narrowly obovate, (8)10-14 x 1-4 mm, predominantly apically trifid, some simple or weakly pinnatifid, mucronulate, secondary basal lobes absent; axillary fascicles weakly developed or absent. Capitula mostly solitary, some in irregular clusters of 2 or 3, terminal or on axillary shoots 2-15 mm long. Involucre cylindrical-campanulate, 4-5 x 3-5 mm; bract margins and apices scarious, sessile glands at appendage base inconspicuous, stereome prominent; outer bracts ovate, 1.0-1.5 mm long, margin and apex not scarious; middle bracts narrowly ovate to oblong, 2.0-2.5 mm long, margin and apex at most only slightly scarious; inner bracts oblong, 3-4 mm long, narrowly scarious, apex with a prominent scarious appendage, yellowish brown to reddish pink. Florets ca. 10 to 14; limb 5-lobed from midpoint; lobes recurved. Pappus with adaxial scales ? length of corolla tube.