Herbs annual or perennial, with fibrous roots, mostly subglabrous. Stems erect, branched or simple. Leaves mostly radical, alternate, simple, petiolate or sessile. Capitula discoid or radiate, homogamous or heterogamous, in terminal corymbs, sometimes solitary, without calyculus. Involucres cylindric; phyllaries uniseriate, free or basally connate. Receptacle flat, glabrous. Ray florets yellow; disk florets bisexual, yellow, orange, red, purple, pinkish, pale mauve, or white; corolla with funnelform limb and 5, usually narrow, lobes. Anther obtuse or slightly sagittate at base. Style branches truncate to obtuse, often penicillate, or with an appendage of fused papillae. Achenes elliptic-oblong, 5-ribbed, glabrous or hairy between ribs. Pappus of numerous white, slender bristles.

About 100 species: palaeotropical; five species (one introduced) in China.

(Authors: Chen Yilin (陈艺林 Chen Yi-ling); Bertil Nordenstam, Charles Jeffrey)