Description:

• Annual herbs, glabrous or pilose
• Leaves opposite, petiolate, ovate, sometimes faintly crenate on margins
• Capitula radiate, pedunculate, in small cymes, terminal or axillary
• Involucre broadly campanulate or hemispherical; bracts in 1 or 2 rows, ovate, membranous
• Receptacle conical, paleate; paleae flat, membranous
• Ray florets female, fertile; corolla white, strap-shaped
• Disc florets bisexual, fertile; corolla yellow, cylindric, 5-toothed
• Anthers oblong, bases faintly sagittate, with suborbicular apical appendages
• Style linear; branches of ray florets linear-lanceolate, of disc florets linear-lanceolate with small subulate terminal appendage, papillose on outer faces
• Cypselas of ray florets obconical or obpyramidal, usually dorsiventrally compressed, enclosed by group of connate involucral bracts and palea; of disc florets obconical and obpyramidal or subterete, 4- or 5-angled
• Pappus 0 or of linear or narrowly ovate, fimbriate, lacinate or aristate scales
• x = 8 (9) (aneuploids, high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• *Galinsoga Ruiz & Pav.
  • Ruiz & Pavón: t. 24 (1794)
  • Phillips: 819 (1951)
  • Wild: 9 (1967)
  • Hilliard: 322 (1977)
  • Karis & Ryding: 607 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species 13, North, Central and South America
• Southern Africa: *Galinsoga ciliata (Raf.) S.F.Blake and *G. parviflora Cav., introduced weeds, both widespread