Tufted perennial from a short rootstock.. Leaves narrowly linear, loosely erect or curving outwards, 1.5–7 cm. long, 0.6–1.7 mm. wide, pilose on both surfaces especially when young, glabrescent, acute.. Scapes up to ± 8, 20–45 cm. high, 3-ribbed, pilose with pointed hairs, densely so below the capitulum, appressed-pilose between the ribs lower down, glandular hairs absent or sparse; sheaths equalling or longer than the leaves, softly pilose to subglabrous, the limb scarcely inflated, rather stiffly erect, tapering to an acute tip.. Capitulum 7–9.5 mm. diameter, ivory-white to cream-coloured with a brown base and brown inside towards the centre; involucral bracts mostly shorter than the capitulum width, the longest reaching the periphery, brown near the scape, pallid around the periphery, subacute to acute, the outermost narrowly ovate, 2.0–2.3 mm. long, glabrous, the inner narrowly elliptic-oblong, 3.0–3.7 mm. long, innermost shortly ciliate on the margins; receptacle villous.. Flowers 2.0–2.5 mm. long; female sepals pallid, narrowly oblong, ciliate on themargins and back with fine caducous hairs, obtuse or acute; male sepals connate and dark brown below the middle, the free lobes pallid, obtuse-denticulate.. Seeds ellipsoid, 0.5 mm. long, white-striate.. Fig. 6/1–7.
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