Nolletia chrysocomoides (Desf.) Cass. ex Less.

Usually ascending to erect, virgate, rarely caespitose, perennial herb or suffrutex, but also small woody shrubs, up to (0.1-)0.2-0.4(-0.5) m high, mostly divided at the base into a few initially simple stems, only branching upwards into the inflorescences, rarely consisting of a main stem with side branches, these branching into inflorescences; basal part with pale, yellowish brown or reddish bark, herbaceous and green upwards, appressed pubescent, densely to scattered leafy. Leaves alternate, scattered to fairly densely set, sessile, linear, lower leaves mostly (10-)15-20(-30) x (0.5-)1.0-1.5(-2.5) mm but sometimes up to 35-40 mm long, decreasing in size upwards; apex bluntly acute; margins entire; appressed pubescent on both surfaces. Capitula heterogamous, disciform, 8-10(-12) mm in diameter, usually arranged in few-headed, loose corymbs, rarely solitary at ends of branches. Involucre campanulate. Involucral bracts imbricate, in 3 or 4 rows, green but sometimes tinged purplish, persistent and recurved in old inflorescences, very variable in shape; outer row linear or narrowly linear-triangular to narrowly ovate or narrowly obovate, 1.0-2.5 x 0.2-1.0 mm, apex acute, appressed pubescent; second row narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate or narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, 1.8-3.6 x 0.4-1.0 mm, apex acute to acuminate, with very narrowly membranous margin, appressed pubescent; third row narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate or narrowly elliptic, 2.2-4.5 x 0.5-1.0 mm, apex acute to acuminate, with narrowly membranous, faintly fimbriate margin, appressed pubescent; inner row linear to narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate, 3-5 x 0.4-1.0 mm, apex acute to acuminate, with membranous, faintly fimbriate margin, central portion sparsely appressed pubescent. Receptacle epaleate, foveolate. Outer female florets ± 13-50, in 1 row, fertile, filiform; tube 1-2 mm long, shorter than style furcation, with numerous glandular hairs, apex with single lobe or toothed, in North African material one lobe more obvious, with glandular hairs; corolla yellow. Style 1.0-2.5 mm long, bifurcate; style branches elliptic, 0.5-1.0 mm long, apex rounded; stigmatic areas marginal, confluent at apex, sometimes with short penicillate, apical appendage. Pappus and cypsela as in disc florets. Disc florets ± 40-90, regular, bisexual, fertile; tubular below, tube 2.0-4.0 mm long, widening slightly after about 1 mm but still tubular and then widening slightly towards lobes, with glandular hairs around first widening; lobes 5, ± 0.5 mm long, also with some glandular hairs; corolla yellow but sometimes purplish on upper part of tube and lower part of lobes. Anthers 1.2-2.0 mm long; with narrowly ovate apical appendages and slightly caudate at base, ecalcarate; filament collars with thickened cell walls. Style 1.5-3.5 mm long, bifurcate; style branches linear, 0.5-1.0 mm long; stigmatic areas marginal, not confluent at apex, with deltoid-penicillate apical appendages. Cypsela honey-coloured, shiny, with faint marginal line, narrowly obovoid, laterally compressed, often slightly skew to one side, 1.2-2.5 x 0.5-1.0 mm; surface covered with circular epicarpic cells each with short twin hair, apices of twin hairs acute but subequal in length. Pappus of caducous, barbellate bristles, 2 mm long in female florets, 3 mm long in disc florets. Flowering time: in southern Africa throughout the year, but with peaks in April-May, August and December; in North Africa from January to August but with a peak from March-June.