Erect annual, mostly 0.5–2 m high; vegetative surfaces with moderate to dense, short glandular and long simple hairs. Leaves sessile, linear to lanceolate, mostly 5–18 cm long and 4–12 mm wide, acute; upper leaves smaller, often narrow-triangular. Capitula many, 6–8 mm diam., pedunculate; involucral bracts 5–11, 5–7 mm long. Ray florets 5–11, ligule 3–4 mm long; disc florets 5–many, fertile. Cypselas 3.5–5 mm long, somewhat dimorphic, glabrous, finely wrinkled, black; ray cypselas falcate-oblanceolate; disc cypselas oblanceolate; pappus absent. Flowers spring and summer.
Also naturalised NSW. Native to South America. Known in Victoria by a few old collections from Ballan, Barwon Downs, Kyneton, Maldon and near Melbourne. A weed of pasture and other disturbed sites.
Source:
Jeanes, J.A. (1999). Asteraceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 652–666. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
