 The aerial flower heads have some semblance to a hedgehog and the hard, dry plants hurt the naked foot if stepped upon.The functionally male florets occur in small groups and have very short individual stems, mostly in the centre of a larger cluster of female florets.The corollas are small, have (three or) four triangular lobes, greenish yellow and contain (three or) four stamens, carry yellowish or purplish anthers that are blunt on both ends and the filament is not extended beyond the anther.