Brachythrix Wild & G.V. Pope

Perennial herbs with annual stems from small woody rootstocks; rootcrowns with or without lanate tufts; roots numerous, thong-like and usually swelling to form root-tubers. Stems erect usually branching above, leafy, sometimes scapiform. Leaves alternate, sessile or subsessile, bases cuneate less often auriculate; upper surface ± scabrous, sparsely pubescent or glabrescent, the hairs scattered flagelliform often becoming somewhat rigid; lower surface pubescent or felted, sometimes finely pilose especially on the nerves, or glabrescent, glandular-punctate. Capitula solitary or few-many in lax corymbiform cymes, or aggregated in ± dense 3-many-capitulate clusters. Involucres campanulate to broadly cup-shaped, occasionally subglobose or narrowly ovoid. Phyllaries imbricate, several-seriate. Receptacle ± flat. Corollas purple, narrowly funnel-shaped, regularly deeply 5-lobed; lobes apically setulose or glabrous. Fruit achenes narrowly oblong-obovoid, 4–5-angular with narrow ribs on the angles, truncate to slightly rounded at the apex. Pappus 2-seriate.

Worldwide: 6 species in east tropical Africa.

Malawi: 4 taxa.