Subshrubs, spreading, not sca-pose, 2.5-4 × 3-5 dm, tomentose, greenish. Stems spreading, often with persistent leaf bases, up to 1/ 4 or more height of plant; caudex stems somewhat matted; aerial flowering stems erect or nearly so, somewhat stout, solid, not fistulose, 0.5-1.5 dm, tomentose. Leaves cauline and sheathing proximal 3 of stem, 1 per node; petiole 0.5-1(-1.8) cm, tomentose; blade linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3.5-7(-9) × 0.3-0.6(-0.8) cm, densely white-tomentose abaxially, less so and greenish adaxially, margins plane and slightly revolute, rarely crenulate. Inflorescences cymose, open, 3-8 × 3-10 cm; branches dichotomous, tomentose; bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, and 2-3 mm, or leaflike, 1-2 cm, and similar to leaf blades. Peduncles absent. Involucres 1 per node or 2-3 per cluster, turbinate, 3.5-4 × 2.5-3 mm; teeth 5-6, erect, 0.5-1 mm. Flowers (3-)3.5-4(-4.5) mm; perianth white, glabrous; tepals connate proximal 1/ 4, slightly dimorphic, those of outer whorl spatulate, 1-3-1.7(-2) mm wide, those of inner whorl oblanceolate, 0.6-0.9(-1.2) mm wide; stamens included, 2-3(-3.5) mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes brown, 2.5-3 mm, glabrous except for slightly papillate beak.
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