Helichrysum cooperi Harv.

Biennial herb up to 1.5 m tall, or rarely perennating, aromatic, stem stout, base up to 10 mm diam., simple below the inflorescence, glandular-setose, inflorescence branches sometimes thinly white-cobwebby as well, leafy. Radical leaves usually wanting at flowering, but rosetted in first year of growth, up to ±150(-250) x 60 mm, elliptic, tapering to a broad clasping base, glandular or very thinly woolly; cauline leaves mostly 65-130 x (15-)20-45 mm, smaller upwards, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, apex acute or sometimes acuminate on uppermost leaves, apiculate, base cordate-clasping, the main stem leaves in particular usually decurrent in long or short wings, both surfaces glandular-setose, margins often white-woolly as well, very rarely some leaves thinly woolly below. Heads heterogamous, depressed-globose, ±(8-)10-12 mm long, ±15-25 mm across the radiating bracts, many in a large spreading leafy corymbose panicle. Involucral bracts in ±9 series, slightly graded, imbricate, much exceeding the flowers, glossy bright yellow, backs of outer rarely overlaid palest brown. Receptacle shortly honeycombed. Flowers ±650-1200, 50-160 female, 600-1100 homogamous. Achenes 1 mm long, barrel-shaped, glabrous. Pappus bristles many, equalling corolla, tips barbellate, bases with patent cilia, lightly cohering or not.