Perennial acaulescent herbs, rootstock densely silky-hairy at base (in ours). Leaves radical, entire, dentate or sinuate-pinnatifid. Scapes with a single terminal capitulum. Capitula heterogamous, radiate. Corolla 2-lipped.
Phyllaries 2-3-seriate, ± linear, imbricate. Receptacle naked. Outer florets female; inner bisexual or functionally male. Corolla white, yellow, pink, purple or red. Achenes narrowly flask-shaped, ± attenuate above or prolonged into an
apical beak, 4-10-ribbed. Pappus several-seriate, of minutely barbellate setae. Derivation of name: for Traugott Gerber, 1710-1743, German-Russian physician, botanist and plant collector. Worldwide: 30 species from NE Africa south to South Africa; G. piloselloides extends from West Africa to China. Malawi: 3 taxa. |
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