Herbs, erect, to 20 cm tall, gray-green. Rootstock tuberous or rhizomatous, 10-30 × 3-7(-20) mm, branched or not. Stems often solitary, 5-7 mm thick, upper parts with many slender axillary branches, thinly pilose. Leaves mostly alternate, occasionally opposite on lateral branches; stipules absent; basal scale-leaves few, relatively long and narrow; petiole absent; leaf blade very variable, linear, linear-lanceolate, or oblanceolate, usually oblong, 6-9 × 1-2 cm, gray-green, sparsely pilose, base cuneate, margin entire, apex rounded or acuminate; midrib prominent abaxially, lateral veins inconspicuous. Inflorescence an inconspicuous terminal pseudumbel surrounded by many axillary cymes; primary involucral leaves 3-5(-8), similar to normal leaves, primary rays usually 5, 1-3 cm; cymes rather congested; cyathophylls 2, ovate-triangular, 2-2.5 × 2.2-2.7 cm, base truncate or emarginate, apex acute. Cyathium sessile; involucre campanulate, 2.5-3 × 2.5-3 mm, lobes triangular-ovate, entire; glands 4, dark brown to brownish yellow, rounded. Male flowers many, exserted from involucre. Female flower: ovary pedicel ca. 3 mm and exserted from cup; ovary smooth, glabrous; styles connate below middle, persistent; style arms shortly 2-lobed. Capsule trigonous-globose, 5-5.8 × 5-6 mm, obscurely rugose, glabrous. Seeds trigonal-ovoid, ca. 4 × 4 mm, light brown to gray-brown, smooth, adaxially striate; caruncle white, stipitate. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jun.
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