| Habitat | Low altitude planes and slopes | Medium altitude grasslands | Lateritic rocks |
|---|
| Habit | Annual herbs, up to 90 cm high | Annual herbs, up to 70 cm high | Annual herbs, up to 12 cm high |
|---|
| Leaves | Upper leaves amplexicaulous | Upper leaves amplexicaulous | Upper leaves not amplexicaulous |
|---|
| Inflorescence | Heads 5–8; 1–1.5 cm long | Heads 6–8; 1.2–1.6 cm long | Heads 1–4, 7–8 mm long |
|---|
| Blooming | Throughout the season | August to January | June to August |
|---|
| Involucre | Involucral bracts 7–10 | Involucral bracts 8–10 | Involucral bracts 5 |
|---|
| Florets | 40–65; equal to or slightly exceeding the involucral bracts; dark pink | 30–50; exceeding much beyond the involucral bracts; dark pink | 4–10; exceeding much beyond the involucral bracts; pale pink |
|---|
| Pappus | As long as corolla tube or slightly shorter | Up to the middle of corolla tube | Up to the middle of corolla tube |
|---|
| Corolla | Tube 6–10 mm long; lobes triangular | Tube 5–8 mm long; lobes elliptical | Tube 3–4 mm long; lobes linear- lanceolate |
|---|
| Style | Up to the length of corolla tube or slightly exserted | Slightly exserted | Exserted well above corolla tube |
|---|
| Achene | Hairy along the angles; ribs not prominent; reddish brown | Minutely hairy along the angles; ribs not prominent; reddish brown | Hairy throughout; ribs prominent; greyish brown – straw coloured |
|---|