Inflorescence a cluster of small almost sessile heads. Heads cylindrical to ovoid; involucral bracts 2–5-seriate, widely spreading in fruit, scarious or with a herbaceous base and midrib; receptacle ± convex, naked. Outer florets female; style branches filiform, glabrous. Inner florets bisexual, tubular, 5-merous, fertile; anthers with short terminal appendages; style branches terete, truncate with papillose apices.
Achenes all similar, subterete, ± papillose; pappus of barbellate bristles, sometimes absent from the female florets, not persistent.
There are now 4 genera within Gnaphalium (Flora of NSW Vol. 3, 1992). Argyrotegium, Euchiton, Gamochaeta and Gnaphalium, see Key to species below.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Heads solitary | 2 |
| Infloresences of several to many heads | 4 |
| 2 | Leaves crowded and overlapping, satiny with tightly appressed hairs, the margins incurved | Argyrotegium nitidulum |
| Leaves many but not regularly overlapping, softly woolly with loose hairs
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Outer involucral bracts loosely woolly; heads always solitary on long peduncles | Euchiton traversii |
| Outer involucral bracts glabrous; heads often sessile
Back to 2 | Argyrotegium mackayi |
| 4 | Heads in globose, terminal clusters or indistinct leafy inflorescences | 5 |
| Heads in distinct elongate often leafy spikes, or a large corymb of spike-like branches
Back to 1 | 13 |
| 5 | Upper surface of leaves similar to lower surface in colour and indumentum | 6 |
| Upper surface of leaves distinctly darker than lower surface and glabrous or with many fewer hairs than the woolly lower surface
Back to 4 | 10 |
| 6 | Leaves very fine, linear or narrow-oblong, 1–2 mm wide | Gnaphalium indutum |
| Leaves oblanceolate to obovate, more than 3 mm wide
Back to 5 | 7 |
| 7 | Leaves satiny with tightly appressed hairs | Argyrotegium fordianum |
| Leaves softly woolly with loose hairs
Back to 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Outer involucral bracts with dense long hairs obscuring the heads; heads in tight terminal globose clusters; confined to arid areas of western N.S.W | Gnaphalium diamantinense |
| Outer involucral bracts glabrous or woolly only at the base, in no way obscuring the heads; heads in loose groups; grows in alpine or montane areas of eastern N.S.W
Back to 7 | 9 |
| 9 | Heads on long peduncles with few leaves; mat-forming perennial | Argyrotegium mackayi |
| Heads sessile on leafy branches; erect or ascending annuals or perennials
Back to 8 | Argyrotegium poliochlorum |
| 10 | Involucral bracts acuminate, the tips delicate and deeply lacerate; species of subalpine or montane areas | Euchiton umbricola |
| Involucral bracts obtuse to broad-acute, firm and leathery; widespread species
Back to 5 | 11 |
| 11 | Heads subtended by large, leafy bracts, much longer than the diameter of the head; basal rosette soon withering | 12 |
| Heads without visible subtending bracts or with bracts only a little longer than the diameter of the head; basal rosette persistent
Back to 10 | Euchiton japonicus |
| 12 | Annuals; heads mostly 1–2 mm diam., with a single bisexual floret per head | Euchiton sphaericus |
| Stoloniferous perennials; heads 2–4 mm diam., with 3 or more bisexual florets per head
Back to 11 | Euchiton involucratus |
| 13 | Leaves densely white woolly on both surfaces | 14 |
| Leaves darker and with fewer hairs (to glabrescent) on the upper surface than the lower surface; large leafy annuals with distinct basal rosettes
Back to 4 | 15 |
| 14 | Involucral bracts with broad, membranous tips; stems, leaves and inflorescences more or less obscured by loose white woolly hairs; weak decumbent annual | Gnaphalium polycaulon |
| Involucral bracts firm and leathery to the tip; stems, leaves and inflorescences with tangled but appressed hairs giving a satiny appearance; robust erect or prostrate herb
Back to 13 | Gamochaeta calviceps |
| 15 | Heads surrounded by and almost obscured by, long woolly hairs; leaves loosely woolly on lower surface | Gamochaeta pensylvanica |
| Woolly hairs at the base of the heads limited to the peduncles; leaves with fine, appressed hairs below, or glabrous
Back to 13 | 16 |
| 16 | Leaves with a prominent paler midvein on the upper surface; inflorescences usually a closed spike | Gamochaeta coarctata |
| Leaves concolorous on the upper surface; inflorescences slightly loose and spreading, the heads not held together tightly
Back to 15 | Gamochaeta purpurea |
