Herbs, spreading mats, infrequently polygamodioecious, 1-6 × 2-10, tomentose to floccose. Stems: caudex spread-ing; 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-)1-3(-4) dm, often with a whorl of (2-)5-10, linear to oblanceolate, leaflike bracts ca. midlength, 0.5-4(-5) × 0.2-1 (1.5) cm, mostly tomentose to floccose. Leaves in loose rosettes; petiole 0.5-3 cm, usually floccose; blade usually linear to oblanceolate, (1.5-)2-5 × 0.2-1(-1.5) cm, densely white-lanate to tomentose on both surfaces or only abaxially, thinly floccose or glabrous and green adaxially, margins entire, plane. Inflorescences simple or compound-umbellate, rarely reduced and compact, 1-10 × 1-10 cm; branches tomentose to floccose; bracts 3-10 or more, leaflike at proximal node, oblanceolate to linear, 0.3-1 × 0.2-0.4 cm, usually scalelike distally, 1-5 × 0.5-2.5 mm. Involucres 1 per node, turbinate to campanulate, 3-4.5 × 2.5-5(-6) mm, tomentose, rarely glabrous; teeth 6-12 or more, lobelike, reflexed, 1.5-5 mm. Flowers 4-9 mm, including 1.5-3 mm stipelike base; perianth white to cream or ochroleucous, glabrous; tepals monomorphic, spatulate to oblong-ovate; stamens exserted, 4-8 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes light to dark brown, (2-)3.5-5 mm, glabrous except for sparsely pubescent beak.
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