Athrixia fontana Macowan

Perennial herb, 200-500 mm high; rosette plant. Flowering stems erect, leafy, usually simple, or sometimes with several stems, sometimes forking once or twice above, thinly white-tomentose, thinly to thickly beset with long, purplish, gland-tipped hairs. Leaves of two kinds: basal leaves in a rosette, sessile, with blade ovate, narrowly obovate or oblong-linear, up to 77 x 23 mm, often 3-veined, apex acute, base broad, margins distantly denticulate; stem leaves decreasing in size upwards, sessile, apex long acuminate, margins entire or denticulate, with single main vein, upper surface glabrous to villous, with long, gland-tipped hairs, lower surface white-felted and glandular-hairy on veins. Heads radiate, mostly solitary, sometimes with several heads, terminal. Involucre turbinate; involucral bracts 7-9-seriate, very long-acuminate, tips recurved, cobwebby. Receptacle epaleate. Flowers: ray florets female, fertile, white, mauve or upper surface white, lower surface mauve; disc florets bisexual, white or yellow; Jan. Fruit with cypsela narrowly oblong, 3-ribbed, glabrous, ± 1.75 mm long. Pappus biseriate, inner row of 5-12 scabrid bristles, alternating with outer row of very short, ± lacerate scales.