Herbs 15-40 cm tall, perennial, with a strong taproot. Caudex woody, simple or branched, leafless. Stem dark green to grayish green, erect, usually strongly and fastigiately branched from base or below middle; branches numerous, sulcate and angular. Leaves pale yellowish green, glabrous; basal and lower stem leaves inconspicuous, triangular to bractlike, apex acute; middle stem leaves filiform, to 3 × 0.5 cm, glabrous, margin entire. Uppermost stem leaves linear-subulate, bractlike, glabrous. Synflorescence virgately corymbiform, congested, with rather many capitula. Capitula with 7-12 florets. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 7-9 × 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous or especially basally with sparse arachnoid and short glandular hairs. Outer phyllaries linear to lanceolate, longest 1/3-1/2 as long as inner ones; inner phyllaries adaxially glabrous, margin scarious, apex acute. Anther tube ca. 3.5 mm. Achene brown, fusiform, 4-5 mm, subcurved, with 10-12 equal ribs, apex attenuate or with beak to 1.5 mm. Pappus white, 4-5 mm. Fl. and fr. Feb-Aug.
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