Nolletia ciliaris Steetz

Densely leafy, caespitose or ascending, perennial herb or suffrutex, rarely developing into a dwarf shrub, 0.1-0.3 m high. Stems upright, sparsely branched, greenish, totally glabrous or basally glabrous to sparsely hairy, apically more hairy and also sometimes stipitate-glandular, older parts of stems with hard, persistent remains of leaf main veins. Leaves subopposite at base, alternate upwards, densely set, imbricate, sessile; linear-triangular to linear, (3-)4-6(-12) mm long, less than 1 mm broad; apex acute; base semi-amplexicaul; margin entire, mostly shortly to prominently (up to 1 mm long) ciliate, rarely without cilia; upper surface glabrous; lower surface glabrous to spreading pubescent, sometimes glandular-hairy as well; main vein very prominent abaxially, occupying most of the lower leaf surface; often dark coloured embedded oil glands regularly set on both sides of main vein, visible on abaxial surface; sometimes leaf tufts in axils of lower leaves. Capitula heterogamous, disciform, 8-10 mm in diameter, solitary at ends of branches, pedunculate. Peduncle 10-40 mm long, glabrous, spreading pubescent and/or glandular-hairy, sometimes with 1 or 2 bracts. Involucre infundibuliform to campanulate. Involucral bracts in 3 or 4 rows, imbricate, glabrous, often with yellow or dark coloured embedded oil sacs along midline, often purplish, persistent and recurved in old inflorescences; outer bracts narrowly ovate, 2-3 x 0.5-0.6 mm, acuminate, with very narrowly membranous, entire margin, with darker central portion; middle bracts very narrowly ovate to obovate, 2.5-4.0 x 0.5-0.8 mm, acuminate, with narrowly membranous, entire margin, upper central portion darkish, lower portion lighter; inner bracts very narrowly obovate to almost linear to narrowly oblong, up to 3.0-4.5 x 0.5-1.0 mm, acuminate, with broader, membranous entire margin. Receptacle epaleate, foveolate. Outer female florets up to 45, arranged in 1 or 2 rows, fertile, filiform; tube 1.5-2.0 mm long, shorter than style furcation, glabrous, rarely with a few glandular hairs, 3-5-dentate; corolla yellow or purplish. Style 2.0-2.5 mm long, bifurcate; branches up to 1 mm long, apex rounded to acute; stigmatic areas marginal, confluent at apex. Cypsela and pappus as in disc florets. Disc florets up to 45, regular, bisexual, fertile, corolla infundibuliform; tubular part 2-3 mm long, rarely with a few glandular hairs on tube; 5-lobed, lobes 0.5-1.0 mm long, often with resin ducts in sinuses of closed lobes and resin ducts along margins when opened; corolla yellow or purplish towards apex. Anthers 1.0-1.5 mm long; apical appendage narrowly ovate; base shortly caudate, ecalcarate; filament collar with thickened cell walls. Style 2.5-3.5 mm long, bifurcate; branches 0.5-1.0 mm long, apex with deltoid-penicillate apical appendages; stigmatic areas along margin only, not confluent at apex. Cypsela light brownish (fawn) with darker margin-almost a double line with lighter centre, narrowly obovoid, laterally compressed, 1.5-2.0 x 0.5-0.8 mm; with densely set twin hairs, often unequal in length, apices of twin hairs acute or slightly broadened; epicarpic cells oblong, arranged in parallel rows. Pappus of barbellate bristles, up to 3.5 mm long.