Helminthotheca Zinn

1 species naturalized Aust.; all states and territories except NT

*Helminthotheca echioides (L.) Holub

Prostrate to erect annual or biennial herb up to 1 m high. Basal leaves elliptic to oblanceolate, up to cm 75 cm long, ± petiolate; upper cauline leaves stem-clasping. Heads 10–15 mm diam., in clusters forming a panicle. Involucral bracts herbaceous, in 2 rows. Florets all ligulate; rays yellow, sometimes marked with red. Stylar branches black. Cypselas c. 3 mm long, with a beak c. 3 mm long. Pappus pure white. Coast. Weed of cultivation and waste places. Introd. from Europe; Asia and Africa. Fl. spring–summer. Ox-tongue