Acaulescent perennial herb sometimes dividing at the crown. Roots thick, thong-like, to 370 x 4 mm. Rhizome stout, crown thick, woody, silky-woolly. Leaves radical, spreading, ovate to suborbicular, blade 11-23 x 12-22 cm, upper surface dark green, pilose; lower surface pale greenish-white, tomentose, white-felted, midrib and ca. 5 side nerves strongly raised; margins entire to repand with short, hornlike projections where tertiary veins meet margin, secondary veins looping, apex rounded to obtuse, base cordate, lobes often imbricate with age. Petiole terete, tomentose-villose, up to 190 x 4 mm. Scapes ebracteate, 1-7 from crown, 150-450 x 2-2.5 mm, villose to tomentose, hairs whitish. Involucre campanulate, ca. 20 x 10 mm; bracts lanceolate 3-17 x 0.5-1.5 mm, white-villose outside, imbricate, 3-4-seriate. Capitula erect, radiate, heterogamous, 30-50(-70) mm across the spreading rays. Florets bilabiate, minute purple clavate glands occasional; outer series of female florets white, tube 5-6.5 mm long, mouth white or green, staminodes 5, filamentous, outer limb rarely tinged pink below, 12-18 x 3-4 mm, inner limbs 0.5 x 0.25 mm; inner female florets white, tube 7.5-10 mm long, outer limb 2-2.5 x 1 mm, inner limbs 1-2 x 0.5 mm, staminodes 5, filamentous; disc florets hermaphrodite, white, tube 8.5-10 mm long, limbs 2.5-4 x 1.5-2 mm; anthers sagittate, tailed, yellow, pollen white. Pappus bristles barbellate, whitish. Cypselae 10-12 mm long, elliptic, 3-6-ribbed, beak 2-4 mm long, puberulous along length, hairs filiform, pointed.
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