Description: Perennial prostrate, creeping herbs (with one exception).
Leaves alternate, margins entire, toothed or pinnatisect, mostly cauline.
Heads terminal, solitary, pedunculate, hemispherical or broadly cup-shaped; involucral bracts 2–several-seriate, imbricate, herbaceous often with ± hyaline margins; receptacle flat to conical, lacking scales. Florets shortly pedicellate or sessile, pedicels persisting after achenes fallen; outer 1–4 whorls of florets female, corolla conspicuous and jointed with ovary; inner florets bisexual but functionally male, sterile, tubular, 4-toothed, style ending in circular disc. Anthers obtuse or acute at base, apical appendage ovate or lanceolate.
Achenes almost globose or tetragonal to compressed, glabrous; pappus absent.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 33 species, mostly New Guinea, New Zealand & Australia. Australia: c. 4 species (endemic), Qld, N.S.W., Vic., Tas.
Text by E. A. Brown Taxon concept:
| Key to the species | |
1 | Plants hairy, sometimes densely so; peduncles thick | Leptinella filicula |
| Plants glabrous to sparsely hairy; peduncles slender | 2 |
2 | Leaves tripinnatisect | Leptinella reptans |
| Leaves deeply lobed only, not tripinnatisect Back to 1 | Leptinella longipes |
|