Capitula solitary to paniculate, heterogamous or homogamous; phyll. in 1-2 series with or without minute ones at base; receptacle flat to convex, nude to fimbrillate. Ray-florets ligulate, pistillate or neuter; disk-florets tubular, perfect. Anthers obtuse at base; style-arms of perfect florets recurved, truncate or penicillate at tips; pappus-hairs cop., smooth to barbellate or plumose. Herbs, lianes, shrubs or trees with alt. lvs. A cosmopolitan genus with over 1500 spp. of the N.Z. spp. is recorded also from Tasmania, the remainder are endemic.

2n = 100

2n = 100

2n = 90

n = irregular meiosis

Annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, shrubs, trees or climbers. Lvs simple, entire to pinnately or palmately toothed, lobed, or compound, alternate. Capitula in corymbs, panicles, or solitary; involucral bracts in 1 row, usually with shorter supplementary bracts subtending base of involucre. Receptacle ± flat or convex; scales 0. Outer florets ♀ and ligulate, ♀ and tubular, or ☿ and tubular; ligules usually yellow, sometimes white, pink, orange, or mauve to purple; inner florets ☿. Achenes usually ± cylindric, 5-10-ribbed, often with short antrorse hairs, sometimes glabrous, rarely dimorphic with ray achenes glabrous and disc achenes hairy; pappus present but sometimes caducous, denticulate, simple or rarely plumose.