Metalasia oligocephala P.O.Karis

Decumbent to erect shrublet, sparsely to much-branched, 0.2-0.5 m high. Branches ascending or erect, young densely whitish-tomentose, older becoming less tomentose and without leaf-scars. Foliage dense. Leaves declinate to erect, straight to curved, with axillary brachyblasts up to half as long as the subtending leaf, involute to much involute, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 3.6-6.0 x 0.6-1.5 mm, acute to shortly acuminate, carinate, twisted about once, densely pubescent, sometimes not persistently, with a distinct midvein. Capitula solitary or 2 together, 5-flowered, sessile, free from one another, lower 2/3 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre narrowly campanulate, apically 3-4.5 mm wide, becoming up to 5.5 mm wide at anthesis. Involucral bracts in 4-5 series, gradually longer inwards, outermost about half as long as the innermost, outermost subfoliaceous, those inwards scarious and innermost petaloid, outermost narrowly lanceolate, those inwards narrowly ovate to elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, all except outermost with narrow hyaline margins, outermost acuminate, those inwards acute, outermost apically erect-spreading, those inwards revolute to spreading, outer and inner sometimes slightly and irregularly serrate, outermost with many interlocking hairs reaching to near the apex of the bract, those inwards less hairy but innermost pilose on stereome-apex, outermost to inner brownish to reddish, innermost reddish above the stereome but otherwise brownish to white, innermost with a stereome about 1.2-1.7 times as long as the lamina. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, oblique, zygomorphic, 3.1-3.5 mm long; lobes erect-spreading. Anthers apically rounded. Cypselas spheroid, 2.0-2.6 mm long, with a distinct annular ridge, with short acute papillae, dark brown. Pappus bristles with a serrate and narrow shaft, apically ± flattened and entire, subterete towards the very apex, obtuse.