Tufted perennial, 0.5-2 m, producing new vegetative shoots from basal axils at end of flowering season, often developing a gnarled, softly woody crown; rootstock a carrot-like taproot. Stems erect to sprawling, rarely prostrate in exposed situations, simple to highly branched, 1.5-5.0(-8.0) mm diam., sparsely or densely pubescent with lower portions of stems bearing acute, eglandular hairs sometimes mixed with scattered, short, gland-tipped hairs, eglandular hairs either all longer or a mix of longer, spreading or shaggy hairs 1-2 mm long and shorter, decurved hairs, upper parts of stems usually with progressively more gland-tipped hairs, sometimes almost entirely glandular-haired. Leaves mostly basal, suberect or spreading, lower leaves oblanceolate-spathulate, sub-petiolate, up to 200 x 25 mm, sometimes dead or dying at flowering, cauline leaves elliptical to oblanceolate, mostly 50-80 x 10-20 mm, acute or acuminate, base tapering, margins plane or undulate, usually pubescent, either with mixture of erect, gland-tipped hairs and acute, eglandular hairs or entirely eglandular, sometimes subglabrous or rarely glabrous except on margins, margins always ciliate, with longer hairs to 1 mm long at extreme base, with evident side veins. Inflorescence a lax or more compact, symmetrically or asymmetrically branched cyme, axis 1-2 mm diam. below primary flower; bracts similar to upper leaves but smaller, subequal, suberect or spreading; primary pedicels 8-40 mm long, secondary pedicels 5-20 mm long. Flowers half-nodding, nocturnal, clove-or soapy-scented at night. Calyx cylindrical or narrowly urn-shaped in flower, (18-)20-35(-45) mm long, 10-ribbed, with 1-4 reticulate veins in distal half, densely or sparsely puberulous, hairs usually a mix of acute, eglandular and spreading, gland-tipped hairs but sometimes entirely glandular or entirely eglandular, lobes narrowly triangular to awl-shaped, (3-)5-10 mm long, densely ciliolate. Petals white to pink with yellowish reverse, limbs spreading, cuneate, not overlapping with adjacent petals, 9-15 x 8-15 mm, bifid ± halfway, claws strap-shaped, (12-)15-25 x 2.5-3.0 mm, glabrous or pubescent along abaxial midline and margins, exserted up to 10 mm beyond calyx, auriculate apically, auricles of adjacent tepals locking together, coronal scales spreading or suberect, 0.7-1.5 mm long, denticulate. Stamen filaments unequal, shorter series 11-25 mm long, longer series 16-30 mm long, reaching to top of claws or exserted; anthers ± 2 mm long, reaching top of claws and included or exserted up to 6 mm. Ovary narrowly pyriform, shortly stipitate, 5-7 mm long, stipe ± 1 mm long; styles ± 9-15 mm long at anthesis and included but usually elongating, ultimately reaching up to 25 mm long and exserted up to 10 mm. Capsule ovoid, (10-)15-25 x 5-8 mm, 1.5-6.0 x longer than carpophore, minutely granular; carpophore (2-)4-10(-15) mm long, glabrescent. Seeds 1.2-1.5 mm diam., reniform with hilum recessed, face flat, back flat, reddish brown, testal cells radial-concentric, colliculate-tuberculate. Flowering time: Aug.-Dec. in the winter rainfall region; Nov.-Mar. in the summer rainfall region but as late as June along the subtropical coast. Figure 2A, B, 6, 7.
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Basal leaves up to 15 × 2·5 cm., spathulate-oblong, acute or obtuse, mucronate, narrowing into a petiole c. 2 cm. long; cauline leaves up to 8 × 2 cm. but usually smaller, lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, apex acute, cuneate and sessile or subsessile at the base, margin sometimes undulate.
Perennial herb, up to 1 m high. Stems sticky hairy; flowering stems leafy, from side of rosette. Leaves in a basal rosette; blade narrowly ovate, 80-130 x 20-30 mm, margins undulate. Flowers: in a dichasium; calyx dark ribbed, 22-35 mm long; petals white to pale pink; Oct.-Apr.
Flowers in terminal, lax, rather few-flowered paniculate cymes; bracts similar to the upper leaves, but progressively smaller upwards, lanceolate-acuminate; pedicels 0·6–2 cm. long, viscid-glandular, often in triads with the middle one shortest.
Erect or sprawling, much branched, glandular-hairy perennial to 60 cm. Leaves lanceolate. Flowers in cymes, white or pale pink, strongly scented at night, petals bifid, calyx 18-35 mm long, stamens and style exserted, carpophore 2-6 mm long.
Erect or sometimes sprawling, shortly glandular-hairy, viscid perennial, up to 0.6 m tall. Leaves oblanceolate. Flowers in a lax paniculate cyme, few, white, lemon or pink, calyx 22-35 mm long, petals showy, bifid, carpophore 4-6 mm long.
Similar to S. bellidioides but an annual, occasionally perennial herb, up to 0.8 m high, sometimes sprawling. Flowers white to pink; calyx 22-35 mm long; carpophore 4-6 mm long. Flowering time Aug.-Apr.
Petals white or pinkish, lamina c. 0·9 × 0·4 cm., spreading, bifid, with a linear claw somewhat longer than the calyx and lobes denticulate or entire; coronal scales dentate, c. 1·5 mm. long.
Ovary narrowly oblong-ovoid, 1-locular, on a puberulous stalk up to 7·5 mm. long; styles 3, c. 1·5 cm. long, slender, papillate along one side.
Capsule 1·2–1·8 × 0·8 cm., horny, oblong-ovoid, opening by recurved valves at the apex, on a stout stalk 1/3–1/2 the length of the capsule.
Calyx 2·5–3·5 × c. 0·5 cm., cylindric, but dilated in fruit, 10-ribbed, viscid-glandular, teeth lanceolate-subulate, c. 5 mm. long.
Seeds many, almost black, c. 1·2 × 1 mm., reniform with flattened sides, minutely and concentrically tuberculate.
Stamens on slender biseriate filaments, the longer c. 3·5 cm. long, the shorter c. 1·7 cm. long.
Sticky, glandular, perennial herb up to c. 60 cm. tall.
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