Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes scandent. Leaves opposite, usually scabrid. Capitula solitary or in lax cymes, shallowly hemispheric, sometimes becoming globose in fruit (in M. scandens), radiate (in Africa); involucre 2–3-seriate, the inner scarious and sheathing the achenes; receptacle paleate, the paleae enveloping the disc florets and usually obovate with ciliate upper margins. Ray florets conspicuous, style in these florets present or absent; disc florets tubular or nearly so, narrowed proximally; style branches narrowing to an acute apex or thickened just below the apex. Achenes obovoid or obconical, compressed to 3-angled; pappus of 0–12 often unequal bristles, ?deciduous or fragile.
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