Herbs, perennial. Rhizome thickish, somewhat woody, with withered leaves and sobols or runners bearing squamiform leaves. Stems erect, 5-35 cm, somewhat thickish, lower parts glabrous, upper parts ash-gray arachnoid, all plants with sparse leaves. Rosette leaves obovate-spatulate, 1.5-3.5 × 1-1.5 cm; lower leaves usually caducous and lost by anthesis; middle leaves erect or somewhat expanding, obovate-oblong or oblong, 4-6 × 1-2 cm, base decurrent and becoming cuneate or a narrow wing, margin flat, apex obtuse or rounded, with small cusp; upper leaves narrow and small, apex acute; all leaves densely arachnoid abaxially, sparsely arachnoid hairy adaxially, later glabrous except for midvein and margin, midvein somewhat exserted abaxially, with 3 conspicuous veins or another pair of lateral veins. Capitula numerous, corymbiform, dense, terminal on stems; peduncle 2-5 mm. Involucre campanulate, ca. 7 × 5 mm; phyllaries 5-seriate; outer phyllaries red-brown or puce, ovate, ca. 4.5 mm, arachnoid tomentose, apex acute; middle ones puce abaxially, white or yellow-white adaxially, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 7 × 2 mm, apex acute; innermost ones oblong-linear, with a claw ca. 2/3 of full length. Receptacle fimbrillate. Center of capitulum with female florets and a few bisexual sterile florets; predominantly male capitula with male florets only. Corolla 3.5-4 mm. Pappus ca. 4.5 mm; male florets pappus somewhat incrassate at tip of apex, dentate. Achene oblong, ca. 1.2 mm, glabrous. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Aug-Sep.
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