Metalasia inversa P.O.Karis

Decumbent to erect shrublet, sometimes slender, sparingly to much-branched, up to 0.5 m high. Branches usually ascending, young mostly densely brownish-yellow-tomentose sometimes whitish-tomentose, also with at least some coarse usually yellowish hairs, older branches becoming less tomentose or often glabrous, with distinct leaf-scars. Foliage sparse to dense. Leaves declinate or sometimes spreading, often with axillary brachyblasts less than half as long as the subtending leaf, slightly to much involute, almost flat to slightly canaliculate above, linear to narrowly oblanceolate to lanceolate, or rarely narrowly elliptic, occasionally acicular, 3.4-13 x 0.4-1.7 mm, acute to shortly acuminate, usually half-twisted, pubescent at least towards the base, to glabrous, with at least some coarse yellowish to whitish hairs, midvein invisible. Synflorescenses 5-20 mm wide, very dense, often umbraculiform, sometimes campanulate or spheroid, often indistinctly branched, with 5 to numerous capitula arranged in (1-)few to 10 campanulate or often urceolate and obscurely branched clusters, each containing few to 5 capitula. Peduncles 0-3 mm long, with yellowish hairs. Capitula 5-flowered, sessile, ± confluent, completely fused by hairs within clusters and synflorescenses, lower 1/2-2/3 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre cyathiform to urceolate, apically 2.5-4 mm wide. Involucral bracts in 4-5 series, gradually shorter inwards, outermost about 1.2-1.8 as long as long as the innermost, all petaloid, outermost with an involute ericoid leaf-like stereome and often spathulate sometimes subulate-lanceolate to oblanceolate, those inwards narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, all except outermost with broad hyaline margins, outermost acute, those inwards acute to rounded and emarginate, outermost apically spreading to erect, those inwards erect and sometimes plicate, outermost with interlocking hairs and also with coarse yellowish hairs and glands, those inwards less hairy and less glandular to glabrous, outermost shiny white or rarely pinkish, at least above the stereome, those inwards sometimes reddish above the stereome but otherwise shiny white, innermost with a stereome about 1.8-3.3 times as long as the lamina. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 3.2-4.0 mm long, sometimes with a rigid resiniferous base; lobes erect. Anthers apically rounded but sometimes conspicuously tapered at the apex. Cypselas oblong-elliptic to oblong, 2.1-3.1 mm long, sometimes with a distinct annular ridge, brown. Pappus bristles with a serrate or sometimes slightly serrate and narrow shaft, apically subterete or sometimes flattened or sometimes almost clavate and almost entire to obtusely serrate, obtuse.