Metalasia quinqueflora Dc.

Erect, slender, much-branched shrublet, sometimes branched from the ground (apparently not only after fire), up to 0.6 m high, but often not exceeding 0.3 m. Branches erect, young sparsely whitish-tomentose, older becoming glabrous or nearly so, with distinct to indistinct leaf-scars. Foliage dense. Leaves spreading to erect-spreading, or sometimes erect, straight or sometimes curved, rarely slightly hooked, without or with axillary brachyblasts less than half as long as the subtending leaf, involute to highly involute, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 2.4-17 x 0.3-1.5 mm, acute, usually carinate, mostly half-twisted to twisted about once, glabrous to sparsely pubescent at least towards the base, sometimes with a distinct midvein. Synflorescenses (3-)5-22 mm wide, dense, obscurely to distinctly branched, with (1-)few to 30 sometimes numerous capitula arranged in (1-)few to 10 obscurely to distinctly branched clusters, each containing few to 6 capitula; a few to 10 individually arranged capitula also often present. Peduncles 0-6 mm long. Capitula 5-flowered, sessile or with pedicels up to 4 mm long, free from one another, lower half of each capitulum hairy. Involucre narrowly cyathiform to narrowly campanulate, apically 1.5-5 mm wide. Involucral bracts in 4-6(-7) series, varying remarkably in size between different specimens, gradually longer inwards or of subequal length, outermost about 1/2 to as long as the innermost, outermost foliaceous to scarious, those inwards petaloid, outermost linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, those inwards narrowly oblong to narrowly oblanceolate, all except outermost sometimes with narrow to broad hyaline margins and sometimes slightly apiculate, acute but innermost mostly obtuse and rounded to truncate, outermost apically erect, those inwards revolute to erect-spreading but innermost erect, inner and innermost sometimes slightly plicate and often irregularly dentate, outermost with interlocking hairs reaching to near the apex of the bract, those inwards less hairy to glabrous, outermost reddish or sometimes white, those inwards sometimes reddish above the stereome but otherwise white or sometimes pink, innermost with a stereome about 1-2 times as long as the lamina. Floral parts sometimes containing crystals. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 2.8-3.8 mm long; lobes erect-spreading to erect. Anthers apically rounded or sometimes subtruncate. Cypselas narrowly oblong or sometimes elliptic, 1.7-2.0 mm long, sometimes with a conspicuous annular ridge, brown. Pappus bristles with a serrate and usually narrow shaft, apically subterete to ± flat and entire or sometimes slightly serrate to slightly dentate, obtuse or rarely acute.