Atractylis delicatula Batt. ex L.Chevall., it is an annual, prostrate or procumbent, slender, adpressed hairy or glabrescent (in older parts), branched from the neck; branches up 10 30 cm long. Basal leaves 60 x 15 mm, oblanceolate in outline, tapered towards the base, pinnalifid, with lobes terminating into a stiff, reddish-brown spine; upper surface glabrous, green, under surface hairy; hairs woolly. Cauline leaves 10-40 x 5-15 mm, sessile, lanceolate, pinnatifid, with lobes terminating into a stiff, reddish spine; upper surface somewhat glabrous, undersurface hairy. Capitula solitary at the ends of branches, discoid, Involucre up to 20 mm long, up to 15 mm in diam, (excl. supplementary involucral bracts). Supplementary involucral bracts sub-2-rowed; supplementary involucral bract of the outer row up to 45 x 10 mm, similar to the leaves, but lobes with 1-3 spine; spines reddish. Supplementary involucral bract of the inner row up to 30 x 5 mm, linear, pinnatifid; lobes with (I-) 2-3 spines; spines reddish. Outermost involucraI bract 7 x3 mm, ovate, acute with tip drawn into a soft, reddish, 1.5 mm long mucro, densely whitish hairy at the back; margins 0.5 mm wide, scarious. Involucral bract of the 2nd row 8 x 4 mm, oblong, acute, with terminal mucro soft, reddish, up to 2 mm long, densely whitish hairy at the back; margins 1 mm wide, scarious. Involucral bract of the 3rd row 9 x 4 mm, broadly ovate-lanceolate, acute with terminal mucro soft, reddish, 1.5-2 mm, densely whitish hairy at the back; margins 1mm wide, scarious. Involucral bract of the 4th row 11 x 5 mm, broadly lanceolate, acute with terminal mucro soft, reddish, 1.5-2 mm long, whitish hairy at the back in the upper half; margins 1.5 mm wide, scarious. Involucral bract of the 5th row 13-14 x 4.5 mm, broadly oblanceolate, acute; with a terminal soft. reddish mucro of 2-2.25 mm long, slightly hairy at the back below the apex, margins 1.5-1.75 mm wide, scarious, hyaline except near the apex with violet spots. Involucre of the 6th row 17 x 4 mm, oblanceolate, acute with a terminal soft, reddish mucro of 2.25 mm, slightly hairy at the back below the apex; margins 1.25 mm wide, scarious with violet spot near the apex. Inner most involucral bract 16 x I mm, linear-subulate, scarious, with margins near the apex ciliate. Corolla up to 14 mm long, tubular, light rosy or whitish in colour. Ovary up to 5 mm long, covered with brown, woolly appressed hairs; hairs partly covering the base of the pappus; pappus setae plumose, 1-rowed, slightly shorter than the corolla.
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