Erect shrubs, up to 2 m tall. Branches erect, densely whitish tomentose when young, older branches becoming less tomentose to glabrous, with axillary brachyblasts less than half as long as subtending leaf, leaves persistent for 2 to 3 years, branches with or without distinct leaf scars, foliage dense to sparse. Leaves involute-ericoid, half-twisted, narrow, oblong to oblanceolate, 7-11 x 0.8-1.1 mm, acute, mucronate with tips straight or sometimes declinate, white tomentose above, glabrous beneath, spreading, straight or slightly curved. Synflorescences 20-70 mm wide, dense, conspicuously branched, with numerous capitula arranged in branched clusters, each cluster containing few to many capitula. Peduncles 5-30 mm long. Capitula 3-flowered, free from one another. Involucre narrowly cyathiform, apically 1.0-1.5 mm wide. Involucral bracts ±20 in 5 to 6 series, erect, gradually longer inwards, outermost about 1/4 of length of innermost, tomentose for lower 2/3, all but innermost interwoven by dense woolly hairs, with hyaline margins, apically mucronate to acute; outermost and outer bracts ovate to oblong, thin, scarious, light brownish beige to cream coloured; inner bracts oblong to oblanceolate, apically concave, subpetaloid to petaloid, white; innermost bracts oblanceolate, glabrous, apically plicate, petaloid, white. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 2.8-3.2 mm long, purple distally. Cypselas oblong, 1.5-1.8 mm long, 3-veined, brown, papillose. Pappus bristles serrate, apically clavate.
Home