[3][2] The plant is found in southern parts of Australia, including Victoria, NSW, ACT, SA, WA and Tasmania.

The flower appears in Spring, which is a yellow head of florets, similar to flatweed (Hypochaeris radicata) or dandelion (Taraxacum).

The seed heads ripen to a cluster of fluffy, tan achenes, each having a crown of fine extensions called a pappus.

A rare form from the volcanic plain (Woorndoo area) has a stocky, sometimes few-branched, but apparently perennial tap-root.

[2] The edible tuberous roots of murnong plants were once a vitally important source of food for the Indigenous Australians.