Variously reported as biennial or perennial (short-lived), strongly aromatic, herb or subshrub to 20–100 (–120) cm high, and often as wide. Stems single or numerous, ascending to erect, conspicuously winged from decurrent leaf bases, densely lanate or sometimes with occasional globose sessile glands; wings entire or sparsely toothed, 0.7–2.0 mm wide. Leaves oblanceolate to obovate, 20–65 mm long, 4–15 mm wide, 3.3–5.8 times longer than wide, margins recurved, denticulate, with 6–14 pairs of blunt teeth, apex obtuse or acute; upper surface moderately bullate, sparsely to moderately densely lanate; lower surface moderately to densely lanate, and also with dense, globose, sessile, yellow glands. Capitula in terminal clusters, globose or ellipsoid, 10–15 mm long, 1–1.4 times longer than wide; peduncles 0–22 mm long. Outer involucral bracts 2.2–3.7 mm long, spathulate, apex acute, with dense spreading lanate hairs throughout, glands absent; longest inner involucral bracts 3.5–4.6 mm long, linear, apex acute, upper margins conspicuously toothed or lacerate. Outer florets 17–30, 2.4–3.2 mm long, corolla tube filiform, always partly pink or violet, fertile; achenes 0.7–1.0 mm long, red-brown with 20–50 twin hairs; pappus a single row of barbellate capillary bristles, connate at base, persistent. Disc floret solitary, 2.5-3.7 mm long, corolla tube, pink; achenes pale, abortive. Feb.-May (2 Vic. collections). Outside Victoria, flowers and fruits occur from June to October in northern parts of the range, and from August to December in southern parts (Bean 2011).
The most widespread member of the genus in Australia. In Victoria, first discovered near Kulkyne Station in 2018 and at Lindsay Island in 2019. Subsequently, additional populations have been discovered by citizen scientists in Hattah Kulkyne National Park, and near Happy Valley but are unrepresented in the collection at MEL.
