Starlight Cotton

This small flower grows up to 2 inches (5 cm) tall. Its orange-yellow stem is wispy, and the miniature, moss green leaves are needle-like with ripped edges. Many leaves grow at the base of the stem, and more leaves grow in pairs along the length of the stem.

Each stem splits 4 to 8 times; a single small flower grows at the end of each split. The flowers are 1 cm (0.4 inches) wide, with each petal a slightly different shade of light grey. The flower head is shaped like a star with 10 tightly layered, narrow petals. They detach easily.

It has a faint scent that smells like cotton, and it has lots of pollen. It is pollinated by the wind.