H. Beentje (2005) Atracytillis. Flora of Somalia 3: 475-476
Plants annual or perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, spiny, dentate to pinnatisect. Capitula solitary or in coryms, homogamous or hetrogamous, discoid or ligulate; phyllaries in 2 unequal series, the outer leaflike. Achenes oblong-obconica, with long hairs; pappuses of plumose bristles.
Atractylis includes about 30 species which are native in the Canary Islands, around the Mediterranean, and in southwesteern Asia.
One species, Atracylis cryptocephalus, is known from Somaliland and nothern Somalia.