Paepalanthus serpens Echtern. & Trovó

Perennial herbs. Stem elongate, lignescent, with a thick cover of marcescent leaf sheaths, ca. 1.0−30.0 cm long × 1.0−3.5 cm wide (without the leaf sheath coat), unbranched, pilose, with simple, filamentous trichomes ca. 1.0 cm long. Leaves arranged in rosette at the stem apex, flat to semi-terete, linear, chartaceous, 5.0−10.0 cm long × 0.3−1.5 mm wide, green, pubescent to glabrescent on both surfaces, trichomes ca. 0.1−0.2 mm long, simple, filamentous, cream to ferruginous, apex acute. Spathes appressed to scapes, membranaceous, ca. 0.6−1.0 cm long, lamina glabrescent, oblique opening, margins lacerate, ciliate. Scapes free, ca. 4−150 per plant, ca. 6.0−10.0 cm long, filiform, pilose as the leaves. Capitula 3.0−7.0 mm diam. × 3.0−4.0 mm high. Involucral bracts in 4−6 series, ovate-triangular, ca. 2.0−3.0 mm long × 1.0−2.0 mm wide, straw-coloured, darker on the margins, pilose on abaxial surface, mainly in the upper back, ciliate, tufted at apex, trichomes cream, occasionally yellowish at the apex, glabrous on adaxial surface, apex acute to obtuse. Floral bracts lanceolate, membranaceous, ca. 2 mm long, cream at the base, light-brown at the apex, pilose on abaxial surface, ciliate on the margins, cilia shortening toward the obtuse and tufted apex, filamentous trichomes ca. 7−9 cells long, cream, occasionally the distal trichomes yellowish at the apex, glabrous on adaxial surface, apex obtuse. Flowers 3-merous, ca. 60 per capitulum. Staminate flowers ca. 2.0−2.5 mm long; pedicel ca. 0.3 mm long, densely pilose, with filamentous trichomes ca. 1.5 mm long; sepals free, oblanceolate, membranaceous, ca. 1.5−2.0 mm long, cream to straw-coloured, darker at the obtuse apex, pilose as the floral bracts; corolla tubular, apex with tree acute lobes, soon involute, membranaceous, ca. 1.5−2.0 mm long, hyaline, glabrous; stamens ca. 2 mm long, filaments adnate to corolla on its lower third, anthers cream; pistillodes 3, ca. 0.8 mm long, fimbriate at the apex. Pistillate flowers ca. 2.0−3.0 mm long, pedicel ca. 0.3 mm long, densely pilose, with filamentous trichomes ca. 1.5 mm long; sepals free, oblanceolate, membranaceous, thickening during fruit maturation, hygroscopic, ca. 1.5−2.0 mm long, cream to light-brown, darker at the upper part, pilose as the floral bracts, apex cuspidate; petals free, oblanceolate, membranaceous, ca. 1.5−2.5 mm long, cream to light-brown at the apex, ciliate, tufted at the truncate apex; staminodes 3, scale-like; gynoecium ca. 2.0−3.0 mm long, stigmatic branches ca. 1.5 mm long, bifid, twice longer than the papillose nectariferous branches. Fruit a loculicidal capsule.