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Phyllaries numerous, stiffly subcoriaceous, at first appressed-imbricate soon loosely spreading, sparsely felted-lanate, margins narrowly hyaline glabrous, sometimes lacerate or shallowly torn about the apex, the lowermost sometimes extending briefly onto the capitulum stalk, from 4 mm. long and narrowly triangular outside, increasing to c. 25 mm. long becoming linear inside; middle phyllaries up to c. 7 mm. wide and lorate-lanceolate, inner phyllaries narrower.
Florets numerous; corollas brilliant-to pale-red, up to c. 30 mm. long with a long slender tube abruptly dilated into a short cylindric deeply lobed limb which exceeds the pappus and involucre, glabrous; corolla lobes 6–7 mm. long, linear.
Achenes c. 9 mm. long, narrowly cylindric, obscurely many-ribbed, densely appressed hispid; pappus of copious subplumose-barbellate setae c. 16 mm. long.
Capitula large, usually solitary and terminal on the stem, borne well above the foliage on long stout, densely grey or fulvous araneose-lanate stalks.
Stems annual, 1-many, usually simple, leafy with leaves crowded on the lower stem, usually leafless near the apex, densely greyish araneose-lanate.
An erect silvery-grey suffrutex 20–60 cm. tall, from a woody rootstock with thong-like roots.
Involucres mostly 25–30 x 20–25 mm., spreading to c. 50 mm. wide, turbinate.
