South America is a region of high Asteraceae diversity. The subfamily Gochnatioideae (with its only tribe, Gochnatieae) represents an important evolutionary lineage that is considered key to understanding the evolution of Asteraceae in arid environments. The goal of our study is to analyze and compare the leaf morphology and anatomy of five Gochnatioideae species from southern South America: Cnicothamnus lorentzii, Cyclolepis genistoides, Gochnatia palosanto, Moquiniastrum polymorphum, and Pentaphorus glutinosus; distributed along a climatic gradient from arid to humid regions, with the objective of identifying and describing xeromorphic traits. Results revealed a great variability in leaf traits among the species. All species exhibited abundant glandular and nonglandular trichomes. Stomata were mostly raised, except in C. genistoides, which displayed semi-sunken stomata. Stomatal distribution was hypostomatic in C. lorentzii, G. palosanto, and M. polymorphum, and amphistomatic in C. genistoides and P. glutinosus. The mesophyll was either dorsiventral or isolateral. Cuticular thickening was observed in C. genistoides and M. polymorphum, while hypodermis was present only in M. polymorphum. In conclusion, the observations indicate significant variation in leaf morphology and anatomy among the studied species. This study provides a preliminary descriptive framework that can serve as a comparative reference for future research on leaf diversity in Gochnatioideae in southern South America.