Metalasia confusa Pillans

Sparingly to much-branched shrublet, prostrate to erect, up to 0.4 m high. Branches ascending to erect, young often densely whitish-reddish-tomentose, older becoming less tomentose to almost glabrous, with distinct leaf-scars. Foliage dense. Leaves often spreading to erect-spreading, ± straight, with axillary brachyblasts about half as long as the subtending leaf, lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 2.7-11 x (0.4-)1.0-3.5 mm, acute to acuminate, carinate, almost non-twisted to about half-twisted, mostly flat and slightly involute or sometimes much involute, with coarse appressed hairs at least towards the base, to subglabrous, with a distinct midvein. Synflorescenses 5-25 mm wide, consisting of often 1-2, sometimes 3-4, very dense and seemingly unbranched, campanulate to broadly campanulate, free, 5-15 mm wide clusters, each containing (few)5 to numerous capitula, with whitish and reddish hairs. Peduncles 0-12 mm long. Capitula (4-)5-flowered, sessile, densely fused by hairs within the clusters, lower 2/3 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre narrowly campanulate, apically 1.5-3 mm wide. Involucral bracts in 3-4 series, stereome comparatively thin, gradually longer inwards, outermost about 1/2-3/4 as long as the innermost, outermost subfoliaceous, those inwards petaloid, outermost linear to subulate-lanceolate, those inwards narrowly ovate to oblanceolate, all except outermost sometimes with narrow hyaline margins, outermost acute to slightly acuminate, those inwards less acute or sometimes rounded and slightly apiculate, outermost apically erect, those inwards slightly erect-spreading, outermost with many interlocking and also with coarse hairs reaching almost throughout the bract, those inwards less hairy to glabrous, outermost reddish, those inwards reddish above the stereome but otherwise white or sometimes pinkish, innermost with a stereome about 1.2-1.7 times as long as the lamina. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 3.5 mm long; lobes erect. Anthers apically rounded. Cypselas oblong, 1.8-1.9 mm long, with an inconspicuous annular ridge, scabrid, whitish-brown. Pappus bristles only 3 per flower, very broad, bractlike, canaliculate, linear-oblanceolate, apically sometimes compressed, with slightly dentate to almost entire margins, acute.