Othonna burttii B.Nord.

A glabrous low shrub, repeatedly branching and forming mats. Stems short or elongated, up to ca. 20 cm long, soon becoming defoliated and clothed with remains of leaf-bases and sometimes also leaf remains, especially midribs. Leaves closely set, alternate, almost rosulate at branch ends, erecto-patent, entire, 2-8 cm long, 1-8 mm wide, flattened, linear-oblanceolate, somewhat leathery to subcarnose, faintly midveined, glaucous green, sometimes with a red line along leaf-margins, acute or subacute with an apiculate tip; leaf-base dilated, half-clasping. Peduncles terminal, solitary, erect, 8-22 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, striate, simple or sometimes with a lateral branch from a leaf axil below the middle, otherwise nude or with an occasional reduced bract. Capitulum radiate, with bright yellow florets. Involucre broadly campanulate, 1.2-1.5 cm in diam. Involucral bracts uniseriate, 8, narrowly oblong-ovate, 7-10 mm long, 2.5^1.0 mm wide, basally connate, coriaceous, 3-5-veined, acute. Receptacle somewhat convex especially when young, shallowly honey-combed, glabrous. Ray-florets 5-8, female, fertile. Tube 3.5-5.5 mm long, cylindrical or somewhat flattened, sometimes slightly tapering upwards. Lamina oblong, 10-14 mm long, 5-6 mm broad, 4-6-veined, minutely 3-4-fid at the rather truncate apex. Style terete or somewhat flattened, 2-veined; base somewhat swollen, on a short and indistinct stylopodium; branches linear-narrow-ly oblong, 1.0-1.5 mm long, with 2 discrete stigmatic lines and an obtuse or rounded glabrous tip. Achene oblong-obovate, often slightly curved and compressed, 5.5-6.5 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm broad, with 12-15 close-lying low ribs (and achene wall with 12-15 corresponding veins), densely and shortly white-villous with duplex obtuse hairs, ca. 0.5 mm long, becoming mucilaginous when wet. Ovary wall crystals numerous, elongate, flattened, hexagonal in outline. Pappus bristles copious, pluriseriate, persistent, 4-7 mm long at anthesis, growing to 10-15 mm long in the fruiting stage, whitish or somewhat buff coloured, minutely barbellate. Disc-florets ca. 50-100. Corolla 4.5-5.5 mm long, glabrous; tube cylindrical, 1.5-2.0 mm long; limb narrowly campanulate, 3-4 mm long, 5-lobed; lobes deltoid-ovate, 0.7-1.0 mm long, with lateral veins and a distinct median resin duct. Anthers 1.7-2.5 mm long inch the ovate somewhat keeled apical appendage; anther base obtuse, ecaudate; endothecial tissue radial (i.e., with numerous longitudinal wall thickenings); filament collar somewhat swollen towards the base. Style sterile, terete, with swollen base on a distinct stylopodium, apically undivided and dilated to a conical papillate tip. Ovary terete, narrow, 2.5-4.5 mm long, 5-veined, glabrous. Pappus bristles subuniseriate, ca. 20-30, erect, 2.5-4.0 mm long, minutely barbellate.