9593.000 Launaea Cass.

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes acaulescent. Leaves (in ours) in basal rosettes, usually appearing after the flowers. Receptacle without scales. Phyllaries 2-several-seriate, becoming swollen and corky towards base; innermost ± equal, usually greatly exceeding the outer. Florets yellow, the ligule often purplish or red outside. Achenes (in ours) truncate at apex, without a beak and also without ascending hairs or ascending rough projections on the ribs or margins above. Pappus many-seriate.

Derivation of name: named after J Mordant de Launay (1750-1816), French author and editor of horticultural works and librarian at the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.

Worldwide: 30 species extending from the Canary Is to South Africa, East Asia and the West Indies

Malawi: 4 taxa.