Capitula peduncled, solitary or in subsessile corymbs, heterogamous or occ. homogamous by absence of pistillate florets. Phyll. in several series, inner rows often enlarged, petal-like, forming a pseudo-ray. Receptacle flat to convex, sts alveolate. Outer florets pistillate, filiform, few or absent. Disk-florets perfect, ∞, tubular. Anthers sagittate at base, cells produced into filiform tails. Style-arms of disk-florets subterete, truncate or subcapitate at tips. Pappus in one series of slender simple hairs, sts barbellate to plumose at tips. Achenes small, subterete or angled or compressed. Herbs or shrubs, us. ± tomentose, with alt. to subopp. entire lvs. About 350 spp. of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, N.Z. The N.Z. spp. are endemic.

Usually herbs or shrubs, rarely lianes. Lvs usually alternate, rarely subopposite, simple, entire. Capitula solitary or in small corymbs; corymbs sometimes aggregated into dense or diffuse clusters or panicles. Involucral bracts in 2-many rows, imbricate, membranous, sometimes with coloured radiating lamina. Receptacle flat to convex; scales usually 0, rarely few and reduced. Outer florets ♀, filiform, usually few or sometimes 0. Inner florets (sometimes all florets) ☿, tubular. Achenes all similar, terete or slightly flattened, obscurely angled or ribbed; pappus hairs in 1 row, narrow or thickened at apex.