Perennial herbs, rhizomes short. Stems erect, 6-35 cm tall, sparsely puberulous, branched or unbranched, branches ascending, terminated by a head. Petiole winged. Radical leaves oblong, spatulate, or orbicular, 6-10×2-5.5 cm, margins entire, dentate, to lyrate-pinnatifid, terminal lobe ovate, apex obtuse, lateral segments of 2 or 3 remote pairs, unequal, oblong to obovate, dentate, apex obtuse, or sometimes oblong to linear filiform, lobes entire; minutely pilose on both surfaces. Cauline leaves usually few, remote, oblong-oblanceolate to oblanceolate, lyrate-pinnatifid, semiamplexicaul; petiole winged. Heads solitary. Peduncle 6-12 cm long, densely pubescent upward. Involucre hemispheric, 4-5 mm long, 7-10 mm across, bracts 2-seriate, subequal, narrowly oblong to oblong, obtuse, sparsely pubescent, margins scarious, ciliate, usually tinged reddish purple. Ray florets many, in 4 or 5 series, corolla ligulate, white, ligules 1-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, sometimes purple tipped, emarginate. Disc florets bisexual, corolla greenish yellow, short tubular, 1-2 mm long, 4-lobed, stamens 4. Achenes oblong, compressed, ca. 2×0.8 mm, glabrous, topped by a short glandular beak-like ring, greenish brown. Pappus absent. Chromosome number, 2n = 36 (Peng & Hsu, 1978).

TAIPEI: Wulai, Liu 57. ILAN: Chiliehting to Shenmachen, Kuoh 3063; Tsuifenghu, Lin 54. TAOYUAN: Lalashan, Peng 12119. HSINCHU: Yuanyanghu, Wang 1315. MIAOLI: Taian, Wang 1722; Tapachienshan, Peng 8501. TAICHUNG: Songkun to Sunghsuehlou, Kuoh 2842; Hsiaohsuehshanchuang to Anmashan, Wang 1677. NANTOU: Tatachiaanpu, Leu 1093; Sunlinksea Forest Recreation Area, Shen 164. CHIAYI: Alishan, Leu 170; Yushan, Lue 227. KAOHSIUNG: Paoshan Village, Ho 877; Tengchih, Huang 13865. PINGTUNG: Hsiaokueihu, Chiang 141; Peitawushan, Peng 13282. TAITUNG: Takuanshan, Peng 11773. HUALIEN: Chilaishan, Shen 65; Tayuling, Kuo 8605; Mukuashan, Peng 7279.

The Philippines, Borneo, New Guinea. Taiwan, widespread in mountains, 1,500-3,600 m.

Myriactis humilis is widely distributed and extremely variable in plant size and particular in leaf shape. Kitamura (1937) originally differentiated a number of species and varieties for this complex in Taiwan, but he eventually (1969) reduced all of these into a single species, M. humilis, which was adopted in the first edition of Flora of Taiwan (1978) and is taken up in this edition. In comparison to the original description of M. humilis (plants of Philippines; Merrill, 1906), many plants of Taiwan appear to be more robust, and much more variable in leaf shape.