31. Cyanthillium Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind. 889. 1826.
[Origin uncertain; probably Greek cyanos, blue, and anthyllion, little flower, alluding to corollas]
John L. Strother
Annuals (perhaps persisting), 2–6(–12+) dm. Leaves mostly cauline (at flowering); petioles ± winged; blades ovate to trullate, deltate, oblanceolate, or spatulate, bases ± cuneate, margins serrate, apices rounded to acute, abaxial faces ± hirtellous to densely piloso-strigillose, resin-gland-dotted, adaxial faces ± scabrellous or glabrate. Heads discoid, ± pedunculate, not subtended by foliaceous bracts, (12–)40–100+ in ± corymbiform arrays (6–)10–15+ cm diam. Involucres ± campanulate to turbinate or hemispheric, 4–5 mm diam. Phyllaries 24–32+ in 3–4+ series, the outer subulate to lanceolate, inner ± lanceolate, all ± chartaceous, margins entire, tips apiculate to spinose, abaxial faces ± strigillose, ± resin-gland-dotted. Florets 13–20(–24+); corollas lavender to pink or purplish, tubes longer than funnelform throats, lobes 5, lance-linear, ± equal. Cypselae ± columnar, not ribbed, ± strigillose; pappi of ± 20 ± persistent outer scales, plus ± 20 caducous inner bristles. x = 9 (18?).
Species 1–2 (1 in the flora): introduced; Florida; probably paleotropical in origin, now widely established in tropical and warm-temperate regions as naturalized ruderals.
