Metalasia cephalotes (Thunb.) Less.

Decumbent to erect shrublet or shrub, sparingly to much-branched, up to 1 m high but generally not exceeding 0.5 m. Branches usually ascending, young densely whitish-tomentose, older becoming glabrous or nearly so, with indistinct leaf-scars. Foliage ± dense. Leaves declinate or sometimes erect-spreading, ± straight, with axillary brachyblasts usually less than half as long as the subtending leaf, ± involute, almost flat to canaliculate above, linear to narrowly obovate or sometimes lanceolate, occasionally acicular, 2.7-20 x 0.5-2.1 mm, acute to shortly acuminate, barely twisted or usually half-twisted, pubescent at least towards the base, or subglabrous, without or with a conspicuous midvein at least towards the base. Synflorescenses 7-30 mm wide, very dense, cyathiform or often umbraculiform, slightly branched, with (few-)5 or often numerous capitula arranged in (1-)few to 20 densely fused and often scarcely distinguishable clusters, each containing few to 15 capitula. Peduncles 0-9 mm long, often scarcely distinguishable. Capitula 5-flowered, sessile, completely fused by hairs within clusters and synflorescenses, lower 1/2-2/3 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre cyathiform to narrowly campanulate, apically (2-)3-4(-5-) mm wide. Involucral bracts in 4-6 series, of about equal length, or just slightly longer inwards, usually with distinctly imbricate tips, all petaloid, outermost with an involute ericoid leaf-like stereome and often subpathulate or sometimes narrowly lanceolate, those inwards narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate, all except outermost with usually broad hyaline margins, outermost acute, those inwards obtuse and slightly apiculate, innermost sometimes truncate and then often irregularly dentate to emarginate, outermost apically erect, those inwards erect-spreading to erect, inner and innermost sometimes plicate, outermost with interlocking hairs and usually with glands, those inwards less hairy and less glandular to glabrous, outermost pink or sometimes reddish, those inwards reddish above the stereome but otherwise pink or rarely white, innermost with a stereome about 1.2-2 times as long as the lamina. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 3.6-4.3 mm long, sometimes with a rigid resiniferous base; lobes erect. Anthers apically rounded. Cypselas narrowly oblong to narrowly oblong-ovoid or rarely elliptic, 2.0-3.7 mm long, sometimes with a distinct annular ridge, brown. Pappus bristles with a dentate or often serrate and narrow or sometimes broad shaft, apically often flattened to flat or sometimes subterete and slightly serrate to almost entire, obtuse to acute.