Rhizome usually thickish, woody, much branched, upper part with dense squamate withered leaves, rosulate and flowering stems congested to pulvinate. Stems erect or ascending, (2-)3-8 cm (or plants acaulescent), herbaceous, slender. Basal leaves homomorphic with rosette leaves, obovate or spatulate, obtuse, rounded, or acute at apex, usually with gland-dotted short cusp; lower leaves oblanceolate-oblong, base attenuate, decurrent on stem into short wing, margin smooth, apex acute or obtuse; upper leaves rather narrow, erect or adherent to stem, or foliate on stem; all leaves thin, both surfaces argenteous tomentose, denuded at base, indistinctly 3-veined. Capitula 5-10, densely corymbiform, or solitary. Involucre broadly campanulate, 9-10 × 10(-15) mm; phyllaries ca. 5-seriate, expanding, white, rarely yellowish white, puce at base; outer phyllaries elliptic-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, sparsely tomentose at base; middle ones oblong-lanceolate, ca. 9 × 2.5 mm, acute at apex; innermost ones broadly oblong or spatulate-linear, ca. 5 mm, with a claw ca. 1/2 of full length; phyllaries of male capitula slightly obtuse. Receptacle with fimbrillate hairs. Predominantly female capitula with numerous marginal female florets, center with 2-5 male florets; predominantly male capitula with male florets only. Corolla tube 3.5-4 mm. Pappus slightly exceeding corolla, incrassate at tip of apex in male florets, serrulate. Achenes oblong, ca. 1 mm, glabrous. Fl. Jul-Sep.
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