Subshrubs, ca. 70 cm tall. Old branches dark gray; flowering branches sparsely appressed pubescent. Lower and middle stem leaves: petiole ca. 0.5 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate, ovate, orbicular, or broadly elliptic, 1.5-2.5 × 1-2 cm, abaxially white or gray-white, densely and thickly appressed pubescent, adaxially green or gray-green, glabrous or very sparsely pubescent, margin serrate or occasionally inconspicuously 3-5-lobed, apex truncate or acute. Uppermost stem leaves spatulate, orbicular, or narrowly elliptic, small. Synflorescence a terminal compound flat-topped panicle, 2-8 cm in diam. Capitula many. Involucres campanulate, 2.5-3 mm in diam.; phyllaries in 4 rows, straw-colored, glossy, scarious margin hyaline, outer ones ovate or triangular-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 mm, abaxially sparsely pubescent, apex obtuse or rounded, middle and inner ones elliptic or lanceolate, 2-2.5 mm, middle ones abaxially sparsely pubescent, inner ones abaxially glabrous. Marginal female florets 6, corolla narrowly tubular, ca. 2 mm, apex 2-4-denticulate; disk florets: corolla tubular, ca. 2.5 mm. Achenes ca. 1.2 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Nov.