Herbs, matted, dioecious, (0.5-)1-2 × 3-8 dm, sparsely tomentose. Stems: caudex spreading; aerial flowering stems erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, arising at nodes of caudex branches and at distal nodes of short, nonflowering aerial branches, (0.5-)1-2 dm, sparsely tomentose. Leaves in loose basal rosettes; petiole 0.7-3 cm, lanate to tomentose; blade elliptic to ovate, (0.5-)1-2 × 0.5-1.5 cm, densely grayish-lanate on both surfaces, margins entire, plane. Inflorescences: staminate plants capitate, rarely umbellate, 1-2 × 1-2 cm; pistillate plants capitate, rarely umbellate, 1-4 × 1-4 cm; branches tomentose to floccose; bracts 4-6, semileaflike to leaflike, 3-5 × 1-3 mm. Involucres 1 per node or 2-3 per cluster, turbinate to turbinate-campanulate, tomentose; staminate plants 2.5-3 × 3-4 mm, teeth 5-6, erect, 1.5-2 mm; pistillate plants 3-4 × 3-4 mm, teeth 4-5, erect, 2.5-3.5 mm. Flowers: perianth yellow to brownish yellow, glabrous; staminate flowers 2-3 mm, including 0.5-0.7 mm stipelike base; pistillate flowers (3.5-)5-8 mm, including 0.5-0.8 mm stipelike base; tepals monomorphic, oblanceolate to obovate; stamens exserted, 1-2 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes light brown to brown, 3-4 mm, glabrous except for sparsely pubescent beak.
Home