Description: Annual to perennial taprooted herbs; with 2-hooked rigid non-glandular hairs and/or unhooked spines, bases not enlarged; stems terete, usually solitary, branched above.
Leaves basal and cauline, alternate, flat, margins ± toothed to pinnatisect.
Heads in loose terminal corymbs, few to numerous, cylindrical; involucral bracts herbaceous, ovate to linear, in many rows, ± equal, graduated or outer much smaller; receptacle flat, naked, pitted. Florets all ligulate, numerous, bisexual, fertile; ligule linear. Anthers sagittate at base, apical appendage minute.
Achenes terete, usually ribbed, transversely wrinkled, tapered at apex; pappus of plumose bristles, in 1 row, with a few shorter outer barbellate bristles.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 60 species, Europe, Asia, Africa & Australia. Australia: c. 10–15 species (1 species naturalized), all States except N.T.
Text by L. Murray & E. A. Brown Taxon concept:
| Key to the species | |
1 | Midrib on adaxial side of ar least some of the outer involucral bracts with very long, curled hairs, length of longest hairs more than 3.5 mm long | 2 |
| Midrib of all involucral bracts naked or hairs straight and not longer than 0.3–3 mm long | 3 |
2 | Hairs on midrib in more than one line, mass of hairs covering the whole of the involucrum | Picris evae |
| Hairs on midrib in a single line Back to 1 | Picris barbarorum |
3 | Outer involucral bracts in 2–3 rows, rarely longest outer bracts longer than 2/3 of length of innermost bracts, usually marked shorter; all bracts straight; outer bracts upright to slightly squarrose, not as wide as inner bracts | Picris angustifolia |
| Outer involucral bracts in 2–4 rows, usually many outer longer than 2/3 the length of innermost bracts, often almost as long as the innermost bracts; outer bracts straight or recurved, upright to distinctly squarrose, not as wide or wider than the inner bracts Back to 1 | 5 |
4 | Achenes 3.9–5.2 mm long; fruting heads 0.9–1.3 cm long | Picris squarrosa |
| Achenes 5–8 mm long; fruiting heads 1.3–1.5 cm long Back to | 5 |
5 | Involucral bracts all naked, outer bracts slightly squarrose, straight | Picris eichleri |
| Involucral bracts always with a single line of short and strong to slender hairs along midrib on abaxial side of bracts, outer bracts straight and upright to conspicuously squarrose and recurved Back to 4 | Picris burbidgei |
|