Glandular stems reaching 20 to 60 cm tall, producing linear leaf blades w/ glandular-based hairs. Brownish to reddish purple anthers stand out against lavendar petals. Small Palafox is an upright annual with solitary flowers on slender stalks from sticky-hairy stems. Ray flowers are absent. Disc flowers are pink or purple. Leaves become bract-like in the flowering portion of the stem.The flowers attract butterflies.This genus is named after José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa (1776–1847), a Spanish captain-general, in the war against the invading armies of Napoleon