Description:

• Annual or perennial herbs, subshrubs or shrubs
• Leaves alternate, entire, toothed to pinnatipartite
• Capitula radiate, small to large, many-flowered
• Involucre campanulate; bracts in 1(2) row, free, linear, acuminate, sometimes with membranous margin
• Receptacle flat or somewhat convex, epaleate
• Ray florets female, fertile or sterile (rarely neuter); corolla white above and dark-coloured beneath, or yellow to orange or purple; tube with linear to obovate-oblong, obtuse or 3-toothed lamina 4-8 × as long as tube
• Staminodes often present
• Style linear, with linear, obtuse branches, fertile or sterile, sometimes lacking
• Ray cypselas (if present) triquetrous or subterete, sometimes ellipsoid or subglobose, straight or slightly curved, smooth or tuberculate or shortly winged, or with many wing-like protuberances
• Pappus 0
• Disc florets bisexual, fertile or functionally male; corolla yellow or purple, tube gradually widening above, with 5 lanceolate lobes, sometimes with foot-like appendage
• Anthers linear, ecalcarate, shortly sagittate; with lanceolate or ovate apical appendage; endothecial tissue polarised
• Style linear, shortly bilobed, with linear-oblong branches, with annular collar of hairs, with or without stigmatic areas
• Disc cypselas (if present) laterally flattened with thickened margins, rounded or elliptic to obcordate or obovate in outline
• Pappus 0
• x = 9, 10 (B-chromosomes - 1 report)

Nomenclature:

• Dimorphotheca Vaill. ex Moench
  • Moench: 585 (1794)
  • Harvey: 417 (1865)
  • Norlindh: 38 (1943)
  • Nordenstam: 373 (1994)
• Castalis Cass.
  • Cassini: 331 (1824)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species 19, southern africa, Angola and Zimbabwe
• Southern Africa: Widespread