silver daisy-bush

Olearia pannosa is a spreading undershrub or shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and forms a root suckers. The branchlets are covered with woolly, Y-shaped hairs. The leaves are arranged alternately, egg-shaped or heart-shaped, 30–120 mm (1.2–4.7 in) long and 18–65 mm (0.71–2.56 in) wide on a petiole up to 22 mm (0.87 in) long, the upper surface becoming glabrous and the lower surface covered with hairs similar to those on the branchlets. The heads or daisy-like "flowers" are arranged singly on the ends of branches and are 35–75 mm (1.4–3.0 in) wide on a peduncle 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) long, the involucre hemispherical and woolly-hairy. Each flower has 8 to 24 white ray florets and 18 to 50 yellow disc florets. Flowering occurs from September to November and the achenes are 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long, the pappus 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long.

Both subspecies of O. pannosa occur in the south-east of South Australia, but only subspecies cardiophylla occurs in Victoria, where it grows in dry forest on rocky sites in scattered locations.