Description :

• Shrubs or subshrubs
• Leaves alternate, entire, linear or subulate, often rigidly ciliate
• Capitula disciform, medium-sized or small, solitary or laxly corymbose, on long, terminal peduncles
• Involucre campanulate; bracts in 3 rows, sometimes ribbed, with membranous margins
• Receptacle flat, epaleate, sometimes honeycombed
• Marginal florets female, in 1 row, filiform, minutely 2- or 3-toothed at apex, yellow
• Style filiform, with linear branches
• Disc florets bisexual, fertile or sterile, tubular below, somewhat campanulate above, 5-lobed, yellow
• Anthers ecalcarate and ecaudate; with lanceolate, apical appendage
• Style oblong, truncate, penicillate with deltoid apical appendage and conspicuous sweeping hairs
• Cypselas compressed, obovate or linear-oblong, margined, pubescent
• Pappus of scabrid bristles in 1 row
• x = 9 (1 report)

Nomenclature:

• Nolletia Cass.
  • Cassini: 479 (1825)
  • Merxmüller: 118 (1967)
  • Hilliard: 96 (1977)
  • Bremer: 427 (1994)
• Leptothamnus DC.
  • Candolle: 367 (1836)
  • Harvey: 111 (1865)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 10, Africa
• Southern Africa : Species 8, widespread but absent from Western Cape