Description :

• Perennial herbs
• Leaves alternate, sessile, tomentose to velutinous (hair type B), margins flat or slightly concave, entire
• Capitula discoid, solitary or few together
• Involucre campanulate or ellipsoid; involucral bracts in ± 9 rows, small to large, outer usually oblong, with glumaceous appendage, sometimes with reflexed, acuminate, scarious apex and often woolly on back; inner bracts with glumaceous, usually coloured appendage (yellow, pink, white or brown), opaque; stereome divided or undivided
• Receptacle epaleate, but with prominent fimbrils
• Florets bisexual; corolla yellow; tube broadened above, usually with scattered glands and with 5 linear to lanceolate lobes
• Anthers ecalcarate, caudate; apical appendage concave, as wide as thecae; endothecial tissue polarised
• Style bifid; style branches truncate with obtuse sweeping hairs apically
• Cypselas oblong, with globose, myxogenic hairs, epidermis smooth
• Pappus of basally connate, generally plumose bristles

Nomenclature:

• Syncarpha DC.
  • Candolle: 205 (1810)
  • Nordenstam: 2 (1989)
  • Anderberg: 150 (1991)
  • Anderberg: 363 (1994)
• Helipterum DC.
  • Candolle: 211 (1838) of other authors in part, name illegitimate
  • Harvey: 256 (1865)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa : Species 25; endemic, Western and Eastern Cape