Description:

• Perennial herbs or subshrubs, glabrous or tomentose
• Leaves alternate or opposite, sessile, entire or with few spinous teeth, ± fleshy
• Capitula radiate; several-flowered, solitary, sessile or peduncled
• Involucre flattened; bracts in 2 rows, outer row of 3-5 large, foliaceous, broadly ovate-triangular bracts, sometimes apiculate, inner row of several ovate-lanceolate bracts, sometimes with spinous margin
• Receptacle flat, deeply pitted, at maturity breaking into 3-5 outer parts and 1 central part enclosing cypselas, outer parts adnate to 1 of outer involucral bracts, becoming thickened and lignified, central part membranous
• Ray florets neuter; corolla yellow, tube rudimentary, with ± oblong, 4-toothed lamina; staminodes present
• Disc florets bisexual, fertile; corolla yellow, tube somewhat campanulate above, with 5 ± linear-lanceolate lobes
• Anthers sagittate at base, with lanceolate, apical appendage
• Style terete, discoid at base, with linear, obtuse branches
• Cypselas obconic, ribbed, pilose or glabrous
• Pappus a crown of linear, acuminate, ciliate scales up to length of ovary

Nomenclature:

• Didelta L'Hér.
  • L'Héritier de Brutelle: 55 (1786)
  • Harvey: 510 (1865)
  • Burtt: 69 (1948)
  • Roessler: 304 (1959)
  • Phillips: 848 (1951)
  • Bremer: 261 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species 2: Didelta carnosa (L.f.) Aiton and D. spinosa (L.f.) Aiton, endemic to southern part of Namibia and the western parts of the Northern and Western Cape