Metalasia umbelliformis P.O.Karis

Erect shrublet or shrub, sometimes robust, sparingly to much-branched, up to 1.2 m high. Branches erect, young densely whitish-tomentose, older becoming glabrous or subglabrous, without or with distinct leaf-scars. Foliage dense. Leaves spreading to erect-spreading, apically curved to hooked (not conspicuous in leaves less than 5 mm long) or sometimes straight, with axillary brachyblasts less then half as long as the subtending leaf, involute to much involute, narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, or sometimes obovate, 2.4-9.0 x 0.5-1.4 mm, acute, sometimes carinate, mostly about half-twisted, often glabrous or sparsely pubescent at least towards the base, with an indistinct midvein towards the base. Synflorescenses (7-)10-25 mm wide, dense, often semiglobose, with (7-)25 to numerous individually arranged capitula. Capitula 5-flowered, with pedicels 0.5-6 mm long, free from one another, lower 2/3-4/5 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre narrowly campanulate, apically 1.5-2.5 mm wide. Involucral bracts in 6-8 series, gradually longer inwards, outermost about 1/4-1/3 as long as the innermost, most bracts not petaloid, outermost subfohaceous to scarious, those inwards more scarious to petaloid, outermost ovate to narrowly lanceolate, those inwards oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, inner and innermost sometimes with narrow and inconspicuous hyaline margins, outermost acuminate, those inwards acute but innermost rounded and shortly apiculate to truncate and often emarginate, outermost apically erect to appressed, those inwards erect-spreading to erect, all except innermost thick and faintly carinate, outermost with interlocking hairs reaching almost throughout the bract, those inwards less hairy to glabrous, outermost light to dark brown, those inwards mostly white or sometimes reddish, innermost with a stereome about 0.7-1.2 times as long as the lamina and apically with involute margins. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 2.8-2.9 mm long; lobes erect. Anthers apically rounded. Cypselas (not fully ripe) narrowly oblong, 2.1-2.4 mm long, without an annular ridge, dark brown. Pappus bristles with a serrate and narrow shaft, apically ± flattened to subterete and slightly and acutely to obtusely serrate to entire, usually obtuse.