Herbs 15-50 cm tall, perennial, spheroid. Caudex without residue of fibrous and lacerate sheath, with many stems. Stems erect, hardened to herbaceous, intricately and divaricately branched from base. Lower stem leaves sessile, linear, 0.5-4 × 0.2-0.5 cm, base semiamplexicaul, apex obtuse; leaves higher up on stem reduced and narrowly spatulate to narrowly lanceolate and finally reduced to ovate-acute bracts. Synflorescence divaricately paniculiform, with numerous capitula. Capitula with 5-11 florets; peduncle subulate and after shedding of capitulum hardened and subspinescent. Involucre cylindric, 9-12 × 2-3 mm. Phyllaries glabrous, with indistinct scarious margin; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate to lanceolate, longest ca. 3/4 as long as inner phyllaries; inner phyllaries (4 or)5. Achene pale yellow to yellowish brown, homomorphic, cylindric to obcolumnar, 3-5 mm, with 5 main ribs, transversely wrinkled, apex truncate. Pappus 7-10 mm, deciduous. Fl. and fr. May-Sep.
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