Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 891 (1753).

Derivation: Medieval Latin cotula, Greek kotyle, a small cup; referring to the shape of the involucre.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Cotulas.

Description:
Annual and perennial herbs; leaves mostly cauline, alternate, dentate to pinnate.

Capitula terminal, solitary, pedunculate, discoid, heterogamous or homogamous; involucres hemispherical or broadly cupshaped; bracts herbaceous with membranous margins, imbricate in 2 subequal series; receptacle flat to conical, naked, with persistent pedicels; outer florets female, tubular, 1-many-sedate, rarely absent; corollas filiform or absent; style branches oblong with a papillose apex.

Achenes flattened, stipitate, glabrous; pappus absent; inner florets bisexual, fertile or sterile, tubular, 4-merous; anthers obtuse or acute at the base with ovate or lanceolate apical appendages; style branches oblong, truncate, with a papillose apex, or the style entire in sterile florets; achenes flattened on one side, stipitate, glabrous; pappus absent.

Distribution:  About 90 species, chiefly in the Southern Hemisphere, with about 11 in Australia.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Leaves entire to coarsely pinnatifid
2. Annual; leaves narrowly linear, entire	C. vulgaris 5.
2. Perennial; leaves oblong, pinnatifid	C. coronopifolia 3.
1. Leaves pinnatisect with lobed segments or bipinnatisect
3. Leaves distinctly villous	C. australis 1.
3. Leaves glabrous or slightly pubescent
4. Annual with erect stems; peduncles much shorter than the leaves	C. bipinnata 2.
4. Perennial with creeping stems; peduncles slightly exceeding leaves	C. reptans 4.

Author: Not yet available