Annually resprouting or perennial forbs or shrubs, often aromatic. Stems conspicuously winged due to decurrent leaf margins, with wings extending for 1 and 2 nodes. Leaves alternate, sessile, decurrent; indumentum of uniseriate, multicellular hairs; broad-based glandular hairs sometimes present; lower surface with yellow shining globose sessile glands. Capitula aggregated in dense, terminal (but appearing sessile and axillary in some species due to shallow angle of branching and lateral displacement of inflorescence), monochasially cymose inflorescences, globose, ellipsoid, cylindrical or spiciform; involucral bracts in 2 series; outer bracts persistent, all similar in size, lanate-hairy and sometimes glandular-hairy; inner bracts caducous, with ±straight, spreading to antrorse marginal cilia; receptacle epaleate, glabrous. Outer florets female, numerous, filiform, pink to purple. Disc floret hermaphrodite, functionally male, solitary (rarely 2), tubular, pink to purple; corolla 5-lobed; anthers tailed; style bifid. Achenes narrowly ellipsoid to obovoid, with a conspicuous white ring-shaped carpopodium; twin hairs antrorse, appressed. Pappus a single row of barbellate capillary bristles, united at base, persistent.
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