Annual or perennial, low growing, usually scented, hairy herbs with alternate, sometimes opposite or rosulate pinnatifid or pinnatisect, rarely undivided leaves. Capitula small to mediocre, pedunculate, hetero- or homogamous, disciform, or discoid, rarely radiate, solitary terminal. Involucre biseriate, phyllaries subequal, scarious-margined. Receptacle flat to conical, without paleae. Outer florets or rays female, fertile, uni- to multiseriate, more numerous than the disc-florets, without or with a short, conical 2-4-toothed corolla. Disc-florets bisexual, shortly pedicellate, fertile or sterile, with a 4-toothed yellow tube. Anthers basally obtuse, entire, apically ovate-appendaged. Style branches obtuse or truncate, included. Cypselas, particularly outer ones, stipitate, dorsally compressed, winged or marginate, inner achenes 2-4-ribbed, epappose or shortly auriculiform.

Species 55, distributed in Southern hemisphere, mainly S. Africa, Australia and S. America; a few extending to NE Asia, E. Africa, Arabia and N. Africa. Represented in Pakistan by 2 species.

Quite similar in general appearance to Matricaria but can be easily distinguished from it and other allied genera by stipitate, 1-many seriate fertile, female ray-florets which are mostly without ligules, (3-) 4-lobed disc-corollas and winged epappose cypselas.

Lower Taxa

• Cotula anthemoides Linnaeus
• Cotula hemisphaerica (Roxb.) Wall. ex Benth. & Hook. f.