Distephanus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is described by Harold Robinson as having over 40 species and by David Mabberley as having only 34 species. These sources differ sharply in their description of the range of the genus. Robinson has it ranging throughout Africa and occurring also in India and China. Mabberley has it restricted to southeast Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius. The name Distephanus is derived from Greek and means "two crowns", a reference to the two whorls of bristles that form the pappus.