Description:

• Erect annual or perennial herbs
• Leaves opposite on simple or branched stems, entire, subsessile
• Inflorescences sessile or pedunculate, spike-like, densely silky-hairy, terminal or axillary bracteate thyrses; each bract subtending a bibracteolate partial inflorescence of usually 2 bisexual flowers accompanied by 1 or 2 lateral bracteolate triads of a central fertile flower subtended by 2 modified sterile flowers consisting of long, narrowly bracteoliform, plumose-pilose processes, some short and scale-like; the whole falling as a burr-like unit in fruit; bracts persistent on inflorescence axis
• Tepals 5, narrow, linear-lanceolate, 3-nerved, pilose, mucronate, margin hyaline
• Stamens 5; filaments filiform, delicate, connate below and with intermediate flabellate pseudostaminodes; anthers narrow, 2-thecous
• Ovary ± compressed, glabrous; ovule solitary, from apex of a long basal funicle; style slender, stigma 1, minutely capitate
• Capsule scarcely compressed, apex concave with a distinct raised rim, thin-walled, indehiscent
• Seed brown, smooth and shining, finely reticulate; perisperm/endosperm copious

Nomenclature:

• Nelsia Schinz
  • Schinz: 247 (1911)
  • Schinz: 44 (1934)
  • Cavaco: 73 (1962)
  • Podlech: 20 (1966)
  • Townsend: 65 (1988)
  • Townsend: 83 (1993)
• Sericocoma Fenzl subgen. Eusericocoma Schinz
  • Schinz: 183 (1895)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species 2; 1 in Angola and 1 in southern Africa
• Southern Africa: Species 1, Nelsia quadrangula (Engl.) Schinz, Namibia and Botswana