Shrubs or perennial herbs with woody rootstock, or with taproot, glabrous except bracts and fruit. Leaves mostly on lower part of stem, ±dichotomously divided, leathery or soft. Inflorescence scapose, paniculately branched or simple. Flowers in heads or very short spikes; each flower subtended by small bract, pale yellow, often tinged red-brown, turning black. Perianth straight, actinomorphic; lobes of limb separating and reflexed at anthesis. Anthers on short filaments, 2-locular. Hypogynous scales absent. Gynoecium straight; ovary sessile; ovule 1; style end broadly cupular. Fruit an obconical nut, densely silky, falling when mature.
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