Metalasia densa (Lam.) P.O.Karis

Erect shrublet or shrub, slender to robust, sparingly to much-branched, up to 2.5 m high, rarely attaining 3-4 m. Branches erect, young densely whitish-tomentose, older becoming less tomentose to glabrous, sometimes with distinct leaf-scars. Foliage usually sparse to dense. Leaves declinate to erect-spreading, straight, with axillary brachyblasts less than half as long as the subtending leaf, usually involute to much involute, narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, or sometimes linear-lanceolate, rarely broadly obovate, (0.9-)2.0-16 x 0.5-3.0(-4.5) mm, acute or sometimes acuminate, rarely obtuse, usually about half-twisted, glabrous or subglabrous, sometimes densely but deciduously whitish to greyish-tomentose, sometimes with an indistinct midvein at least towards the base. Synflorescenses (5-)10-90 mm wide, dense, usually distinctly branched, with often numerous capitula arranged in few to 15 slightly to distinctly branched clusters, each containing few to numerous capitula. Peduncles (0-)5-30 mm long. Capitula 3-(4-)5-flowered, sessile or with pedicels up to 3 mm long, free from one another, lower 3/5-2/3 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre narrowly cyathiform to very narrowly campanulate, apically (1-)1.5-3.0 mm wide, sometimes up to 4 mm wide at anthesis. Involucral bracts in 6-8(-9) series, gradually longer inwards, outermost about 1/6 to less than half (occasionally 1/2) as long as the innermost, most bracts not petaloid, outermost sub-foliaceous to scarious, those inwards more scarious to petaloid, outermost subulate-lanceolate to lanceolate, those inwards oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, inner and innermost with narrow hyaline margins and rarely ± distinctly transparent above the stereome, outermost acute to acuminate, those inwards obtuse and slightly apiculate or rarely almost truncate and then irregularly dentate, all apically erect, or some rarely erect-spreading or occasionally revolute, outermost with interlocking hairs reaching above the middle of the bract, those inwards less hairy to glabrous, outermost brownish, rarely reddish or light pink, those inwards white, inner rarely creamy white or dark brown to dark reddish, innermost with a stereome about 0.8-1.5 times as long as the lamina. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 3.4-4.7 mm long, sometimes with an inconspicuous rigid resiniferous base; lobes erect-spreading to erect. Anthers apically rounded. Cypselas narrowly oblong to narrowly oblong-ovoid, 1.5-2.1 mm long, without an annular ridge, with short acute papillae, brown. Pappus bristles with a serrate to dentate, very narrow to narrow shaft, apically flat or sometimes ± flattened and slightly serrate to entire, thickened to subterete towards the very apex, acute to obtuse.

It is a subtropical plant.