Straggling to erect subshrub to c. 60 cm high; stems glabrous, but often with a tuft of cottony hairs in leaf-axils, usually minutely pubescent below capitula. Leaves linear, 5–30 mm long, 0.5–1(–2) mm wide, glabrous, entire, acute. Capitula solitary, terminating branches; involucral bracts narrow-lanceolate, 2–8 mm long, 0.5–0.8 mm wide, the smaller, outer ones sometimes sparsely pubescent, acute, margins narrowly membranous; ray florets white to mauve, ligules 4–7 mm long. Ray cypselas cylindric or flattened, 2.5–4 mm long, sparsely pubescent, pappus bristles 20–40, 6.5–9.5 mm long, smooth or minutely barbellate; disc cypselas linear, glabrous, pappus bristles dimorphic, the smaller 1–1.5 mm long, partly fused, the c. 10 longer ones 3.5–4.5 mm long. Flowers Aug.–Oct., Feb.–Apr.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF. All mainland states. Mainly in the north-west, and rare (e.g. Raak Plain near Benetook, Hattah Lakes, Lake Tyrell), usually occurring on slightly to strongly saline ground in sand, clay or gypseous soils.
