Modfied from H. Robinson (2007) Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Asterales. Eds. J.W. Kadereit and C. Jeffrey 8: 170
Plants subshrubs or shrubs; stems with shortly stalked T-shaped hairs. Leaves sparsely pilose on the lower surfaces, bases cuneate to attenuate. Heads pedunculate, in open divaricate cymes; phyllaries 25-30 in 3-4 series, erect, in flower and fruit. Flowers 8–16; pappuses double, outer pappuses of persistent scales, inner pappuses of deciduous setae. corollas glabrous or with a few hairs below the tips of the labes; anther bases tailed; pollen non-lophate; styles with node. Achenes 4–5-ribbed, with minute hairs. setuliferous, with idioblasts; pappuses with outer scales persistent and inner bristles deciduous.
Orbivestus includes 4 species of tropical and southern Africa, one of which (Orbivestus homilantha) extends into southern Somalia and another, Orbivestus cinerascens, into both Somaliland and Somalia. Both were treated as species of Vernonia in the Flora of Somalia.