Slender tufted herb with pseudo-stem ± 5 cm. long. Lamina subcoriac., flexible, rather flaccid, ascending, (5)-10-15-(20) cm. × 2-4 mm. (not including recurved portion), linear, tapering regularly from base to acute, often apiculate apex. Upper surface with us. long-persistent silvery pellicle; lower densely clad, as is evident midrib, in appressed almost satiny white tomentum. Margins entire or nearly so, strongly recurved, almost or quite to midrib. Sheath thin, pale, glab. or slightly hairy; midrib and principal veins us. evident. Scape slender, 25-40 cm. long, us. clad in appressed almost satiny white tomentum. Bracts narrow-linear, us. rather distant, with appressed soft white tomentum, lowermost lamina c. 3 cm. long, remainder regularly diminishing towards capitulum. Capitula ± 12-20 mm. diam. Phyll. up to c. 13 mm. long, linear-subulate, pale, glab. or ciliate, somewhat indurated below, darkened, especially marginally, in upper floccose part. Ray-florets up to c. 25 mm. long, tube very slender, limb gradually widened to 4-toothed apex, ascending. Disk-florets narrow-funnelform, up to 1 cm. long, teeth triangular. Achenes compressed-cylindric, ribbed, glab., c. 5 mm. long. Pappus-hairs very slender, white, up to c. 10 mm. long, hardly barbellate.
Home