Several genera of Australian sunflowers have been doubtfully placed in various tribes throughout their taxonomic history. Our continuing studies of relationships within the Gnaphalieae have led us to investigate the tribal placement of three genera of enigmatic annual herbs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to elucidate tribal relationships of the genera, Haegiela P. S. Short and Paul G. Wilson, Chondropyxis D. A. Cooke, and Elachanthus F. Muell. by reconstructing their phylogeny within the subfamily Asteroideae This has been accomplished through the use of sequence data from the trnL intron, trnL/trnF intergenic spacer and matK coding region. Haegiela tatei (F. Muell.) P. S. Short and Paul G. Wilson was originally included in Epaltes Cass., which has been placed in the Plucheeae. However, recent treatments have incorporated Haegiela in Gnaphalieae. Chondropyxis halophila D. A. Cooke is a recently described species that has been included in both the Anthemideae and Gnaphalieae, with a suggestion of an affinity with Astereae. The ditypic genus Elachanthus has been placed within the genus Cotula L., as Cotula sect. Elachanthus (F. Muell.) Baill. (Anthemideae) and more recently in Astereae. Molecular data does not support the traditional placements of the three genera, but instead there is general agreement between the tribal placement of these genera based on our molecular analysis and certain morphological, anatomical, and secondary chemical characters.

Key words: Asteraceae, Astereae, Chondropyxis, Elachanthus, Gnaphalieae, Haegiela