Description: "Erect shrub, glabrous (or nearly so) throughout; leaves bright pale green, obovate or subelliptic, 3-4 (rarely 5) cm long, 1.5-2 (rarely 2.3) cm wide, nearly sessile, margins dentate, base cuneate, apex " obtuse; inflorescence compact, compound, terminal and subterminal, somewhat corymbose in appearance; heads of relatively few flowers; involucral bracts subdeltoid, in 3-4 series; heads c. 5 mm long, 2 mm broad; perfect flowers 1-3; corolla rose-purple, the 5-lobes evident, deltoid; pappus bristles mostly 18-20 per achene; mature achenes reddish-brown" (Stone, 1970; p. 589)."Erect shrub to 2 m tall, sulcate-striate, much branched, branches finely shortly crisp-hairy, later becoming glabrate. Leaves thickly chartaceous, obovate, 2.3-8 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, minutely puberulent above, loosely puberulent to subglabrous with distinct veinlets beneath, apex acute to mucronate, margins acutely dentate, base attenuate, sessile or very shortly petiolate. Capitula narrowly cylindric to campanulate, ca. 5-6 mm (when fresh) or 9-10 mm (in dried specimens) in diam., 6-7 mm long, peduncle sessile to 10 mm long, forming dense terminal and axillary corymbs. Involucres ovate, 4-6 mm long, bracts 6-7 seriate; the outer obtuse, 2-2.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, ciliolate on margins; the inner lanceolate to linear, obtuse, 4-6 mm long, 0.25-1 mm wide, entire. Receptacle densely hirsutulous. Outer florets numerous, corolla 3-5 mm long; style far exerted; pappus white, 5 mm long, slightly exceeding corolla; achenes brown, cylindric with 5-7 pale ribs, slightly curved, 1 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, subglabrous. Central florets 2-7, corolla 4.5-5.5 mm long, 5-lobed at tip, lobes glandular; anthers and style far exserted; pappus white, as long as corolla; achenes vestigial as a small cartilaginous ring" (Peng et al., 1998).
Habitat/ecology: The problems associated with this species are similar to those associated with Pluchea carolinensis. This plant is confined to lowland habitats, particularly wetlands and fishponds (Smith, 1985; p. 199). "Displaces forages in coastal pastures and natives in marshes and saline areas. Destroys habitat of water birds" (Motooka et al., 2003).
