Herbs, perennial. Rhizome short, lignose, multicipital, with numerous flowering and sterile stems, but without sterile rosettes of leaves, forming a fine but dense cluster. Stems erect, firm, in lower part often somewhat ligneous, thin, sometimes subflexuous, (10-)20-25(-40) cm tall, simple, or sometimes branching in synflorescence, entire plant gray silky or ash-colored lanate, sometimes flocculent, very leafy. Leaves erect, often appressed to stem, ash-colored, greenish adaxially or almost equally colored, or yellowish abaxially, linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 15-45 × 2-5 mm, both sides equally or more densely abaxially pubescent, with prominent vein abaxially, base rounded, solid, margin often involute, apex acute, with large hydathode. Synflorescence depauperate, of 3 or 4(-7) aggregated capitula or capitulum solitary, or in corymb; capitula dioecious, very rarely heterogamous, 6-7 × 7-10 mm, each on a separate peduncle to 2.5 cm; bracteal leaves 1-4 per capitulum, almost indistinguishable from upper leaves, linear to narrowly lanceolate, erect, not forming a star. Phyllaries lanceolate, 5-6 mm, white lanate outside, with acute, colorless or light brown apex. Florets diclinous; corolla of male florets 3.5-4.5 mm. Pappus dirty white, 4.5-6.5 mm. Fl. Jun-Sep, fr. Aug-Oct.
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