Phaseolaster elliptica

Phaseolaster elliptica is a little-known taxon attributed to the Asteraceae family. As described, it is a herbaceous perennial bearing simple, elliptic to broadly lanceolate leaves arranged alternately along erect stems, with entire to faintly toothed margins and a pinnate venation pattern typical of composites. Stems are slender, ridged, and sparsely pubescent. The inflorescence consists of small, discoid to radiate flower heads borne in a loose terminal corymb, each head subtended by a series of imbricate phyllaries; florets are tubular and yellow to whitish, the receptacle naked or with scattered scales. Fruits are slender, ribbed achenes crowned by a deciduous pappus of capillary bristles. Little is documented concerning its precise distribution and ecology; available records suggest occurrence in temperate to montane habitats, where it grows in open grassland and disturbed ground. The taxonomic status of the name is uncertain and it may represent a synonym of another composite species.