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Habit Annuals, perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs, (2–)10–150[–300+] cm.
Leaves

mostly basal or mostly cauline; usually opposite (distal sometimes alternate);

petiolate or sessile;

blades (often 3- or 5-nerved) mostly deltate, elliptic, lanceolate, lance-ovate, linear, ovate, or rhombic, sometimes pinnately or palmately lobed, ultimate margins entire or ± toothed, faces glabrate, hispid, hispidulous, pilose, puberulent, scabrellous, scabrous, strigillose, or strigose, often gland-dotted or stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

campanulate, cylindric, hemispheric, or ± obpyramidal.

Receptacles

flat, convex, or conic, paleate (paleae persistent or falling with cypselae, mostly oblong to lanceolate or linear, flat to conduplicate, herbaceous or scarious, often 2- or 3-lobed or -toothed).

Ray florets

0, or (3–)6–21, pistillate, fertile;

corollas yellow or whitish or pinkish [purplish].

Disc florets

5–150+, bisexual, fertile (peripheral sometimes pistillate in Bebbia);

corollas yellow to orange, or whitish, pinkish, or purplish, tubes shorter than throats, lobes 5, deltate to lance-deltate or lanceolate (± equal [outer larger, e.g., some plants of Tridax]);

anther thecae pale or slightly darkened;

stigmatic papillae in 2 lines.

Phyllaries

persistent or falling, 6–30+ in 2–5+ series, usually distinct, elliptic, lanceolate, lance-linear, lance-ovate, oblong, or ovate, subequal or unequal (outer longer or shorter).

Calyculi

0.

Heads

radiate or discoid (sometimes ± disciform in Bebbia), borne singly or in loose to tight, corymbiform or cymiform arrays.

Cypselae

± compressed, often clavate, obconic, or ovoid, or obpyramidal and 3-, 4-, or 5-angled, glabrous or sparsely to densely piloso-sericeous, sericeous, strigillose, or strigose;

pappi 0, or persistent, of 1–10+ subulate to acerose scales, or 5–20 ± spatulate, entire to erose, fimbriate, or laciniate, sometimes aristate, scales in 1 series, or 15–25+[–40], plumose, setiform scales (or flattened bristles) in 1 series.

Asteraceae (tribe Heliantheae) subtribe Galinsoginae

Distribution
Subtropical; tropical; and warm-temperate New World
Discussion

Genera 15, species 103 (4 genera, 8 species in the flora).

All genera of Galinsoginae are centered in tropical and subtropical to warm-temperate North America and South America; relatively few extend into cool-temperate areas; fewer still are adventive in the Old World.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Phyllaries 10–20 in ± 2 series (outer 4 broadly lanceolate, foliaceous, notably larger than inner)
Tetragonotheca
1. Phyllaries 6–30+ in 2–5 series (subequal or unequal, outer smaller than inner).
→ 2
2. Annuals (ray cypselae often each shed together with subtending phyllary and 2 adjacent paleae)
Galinsoga
2. Perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs (cypselae shed separate from paleae)
→ 3
3. Subshrubs or shrubs, 50–140 cm (often forming dense, rounded masses)
Bebbia
3. Perennials, 10–40 cm (stems procumbent to ascending)
Tridax
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 176.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae
Subordinate taxa
Bebbia, Galinsoga, Tetragonotheca, Tridax
Name authority Bentham & Hooker f.: Gen. Pl. 2: 198. (1873)
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