Metalasia humilis P.O.Karis

Decumbent to erect shrublet, often compact, usually much-branched, up to 0.2 m high. Branches erect, young densely whitish-tomentose, older becoming less tomentose to subglabrous, without or with indistinct leaf-scars. Foliage dense. Leaves erect-spreading to erect, slightly curved, rarely with axillary brachyblasts less than half as long as the subtending leaf, involute to much involute, narrowly obovate to linear-oblanceolate, rarely acicular, 1.1-11 x 0.3-1.5 mm, acute, twisted about once, sparsely pubescent to glabrous, but young leaves sometimes densely but in persistently greyish-tomentose, sometimes with a distinct midvein at least towards the base. Synflorescenses 5-10 mm wide, dense, with (1-)few to 5 seemingly individually arranged capitula. A few synflorescenses sometimes arranged in secondary synflorescenses up to 15 mm wide. Peduncles 0-2 mm long. Capitula 5-flowered, sessile or with pedicels up to 2 mm long, free from one another, lower 4/5 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre cyathiform to oblong-urceolate, apically 3-4 mm wide, sometimes up to 5 mm wide at anthesis. Involucral bracts in 4-5 series, gradually longer inwards, outermost about 1/2-2/3 as long as the innermost, outermost foliaceous to subfoliaceous, those inwards scarious to petaloid, outermost subulate-lanceolate, those inwards lanceolate to oblanceolate, inner and innermost with narrow hyaline margins, all acute, outermost apically erect, those inwards revolute to erect-spreading, outermost with interlocking hairs reaching almost throughout the bract, those inwards less hairy to glabrous, outermost reddish to purplish above to entirely purplish, outer brownish, inner to innermost reddish above the stereome but otherwise creamy white to white, innermost with a stereome about as long as the lamina. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, c. 3 mm long; lobes erect. Anthers apically rounded. Cypselas usually elliptic or sometimes narrowly oblong, 1.6-2.2 mm long, with a conspicuous annular ridge, brown. Pappus bristles with a serrate and narrow shaft, apically flattened and slightly and obtusely serrate to almost entire, usually subterete or rarely clavate at the very apex, obtuse, with inconspicuous clavate cells.