Perennial herbs, usually forming mats. Stems usually prostrate, much-branched, leafy, rooting from nodes, upturned at tips, phloem without fibres. Leaves alternate, simple, entire; lamina tomentose on both surfaces, usually flat; sheath usually at least half length of lamina. Capitula solitary or few together in terminal clusters, conical and sessile at anthesis, opening and becoming stalked as fruits develop. Involucral bracts spirally arranged, changing gradually from outer to inner bracts; outer bracts shorter, broader; lamina of inner bracts papery, straw-coloured to pale brown, stereome-lamina gap sometimes partly crimson; stereome usually undivided. Receptacle flat, epaleate. Florets all tubular with corolla colourless or entirely crimson or crimson in part only; outer florets filiform, female, usually more numerous than central florets. Central florets broader, hermaphrodite; corolla lobes short, erect; anther apical appendage flat, tails usually not exceeding filament collar; style branches obtuse with hairs dorsally and apically, dorsal hairs decreasing downwards. Mature cypselae usually obovoid, more than 1 mm long; each epidermal cell with microscopic, single, distal papilla; twin hairs usually absent. Pappus hairs slender, capillary, narrowing at apex; apical cells acute, usually two or sometimes single; bases fused in groups or in a fragile ring, sometimes with patent cilia or shorter protrusions.

Herbae perennes, tegetes formantes, nonstoloniferae. Phloema sine fibris. Folia alternata, in superficiebus ambabus tomentosa. Petiolus latus, vaginans. Capitula solitaria vel pauca simul in fasciculis terminalibus. Bractae involucri papyraceae stramineae vel brunneae dilutae, stereomos nondivisus plerumque. Receptaculum planum epaleatum. Flosculi externi filiformes feminei, flosculi centrales tubulares hermaphrodites. Ramuli styli obtusi pilis dorsalibus et apicalibus induti, pili dorsales decrescentes basin versus. Cypselae obovoideae 1 mm longiores, cellulae epidermidis papilla singulata distali instructae, pili didymi absentes plerumque. Pili pappi capillares, cellulae apicales acutae, duo plerumque singulae interdum, basi turmis vel annulo fragili connati.