An erect rounded shrub 1-2 m in height; 1-2 m in diam., compact, densely branched. Trunk up to 200 mm in diam. Flowering branches erect, glabrous, 3-4 mm in diam. Leaves ascending, narrowly oblanceolate to linear-spathulate, glabrous, pale green in live state, 31-60 mm long, 4-9 mm wide, apices obtuse, minutely mucronate. Inflorescences pendulous, sphaerical in bud, shallowly crateriform at anthesis, 90-100 mm in diam. Involucral receptacle very prominent, conic-acute, 30 mm wide, 20-25 mm high. Involucral bracts glabrous, 6-7 seriate; outer series tightly imbricate, ovate-acute, 10-15 mm wide, 8-10 mm long; inner series oblong to broadly oblong, 15-20 mm wide, 20-25 mm long, apices incurved, rounded, margins scarious. Perianth 25-33 mm long, strongly incurved; tube region glabrous, 10 mm long, inflated, quadrangular; claws narrowing abruptly, glabrous but upper part sparsely tawny setose; limbs linear, 10 mm long, sparsely setose with tawny trichomes, apices uncinate-acuminate. Anthers 4, subsessile, filaments 2-3 mm long. Style very strongly adaxially arcuate, ancipitous proximally, tapering and terete terminally, 30-33 mm long. Pollen presenter straight, linear-acute, 8 mm long, clearly differentiated from style. Ovary obconic, 3 mm long, covered with long tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales ovate-acute, 1 mm long. Flowering time: (May) June-September (October).
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