Epaltes Cass.

Herbs, erect or diffuse; stems winged. Leaves alternate, elliptic or oblong, usually decurrent, toothed. Heads heterogamous, disciform, solitary or corymbose, peduncled. Outer florets female, multiseriate, fertile; inner florets bisexual, usually sterile. Involucre hemispheric or broadly campanulate; bracts multiseriate, dry, rigid. Receptacle naked, flat or convex, pitted or not. Corolla of female florets filiform, limb, minutely 2-3 -lobed. Anther base sagittate, shortly tailed. Achenes of female florets smooth or ribbed; those of bisexual abortive. Pappus absent or sometimes of 2-3 caducous hairs in bisexual florets.

Tropical Asia, Africa and America; ca 9 species, 2 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Heads 0.3-0.4 cm across; involucre hemispherical; receptacle naked; achenes ellipsoid, 0.4-0.5 mm long

2. Epaltes pygmaea

b. Heads 0.7 cm across; involucre broadly campanulate; receptacle; pitted achenes oblong, 0.7-0.9 mm long

1. Epaltes divaricata

List of Lower Taxa