Like C. verbascifolia, but leaf lamina often somewhat stiff, gradually narrowed to base, upper surface with silvery pellicle or densely coated with shaggy golden hairs; sheath pale- to mid-purple.

Like C. traversii but leaves gradually tapering to short petiole, lamina ovate-oblong to lanceolate, upper surface densely covered with a somewhat deciduous whitish pellicle, underside with a silky cream to mid-buff felted tomentum, margins with a very narrow fringe of pale buff hairs; scape stout and pale buff tomentose.

Woody-based herb with short branchlets arising from a sparsely multicipital stock, usually just below the soil surface; living leaves in rosettes at the tips of branchlets; the whole plant forming a clump of several rosettes. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted into a pseudostem. Leaf lamina (4)-6-8-(12) × (2)-3.5-4.5-(5) cm, coriaceous, at first erect but later decumbent, cordate to ovate; upper surface often sulcate, concolorous, yellowishto glaucous-green, glabrous or with scattered white hairs when young; lower surface densely clad with ferrugineous or whitish hairs: tip acute; margins entire, recurved, often with a rim of ferrugineous hairs; base prominently cordate; petiole up to twice lamina length, purple, covered in floccose ferrugineous hairs. Scape purple, clad in dense ferrugineous tomentum, up to 35 cm long; bracts publicanumerous, erect, linear, monocephalous. Capitula obcorup to 6 cm diam. Phyllaries in several series, linear-subulate, erect, glabrous in lower part and localdensely brown-tomentose towards tip. Ray florets c. 25, ligulate, the limb linear-lanceolate, white. Disc florets c. 110, funneliform, yellow; tube with eglandular biseriate hairs. Achene fusiform cylindric, ribbed, 4-5 mm long, glabrous. Pappus unequal, 5-6 mm long, of 25-30 bristles.

Leaf lamina margins slightly to moderately recurved, tomentum of lower surface thick and felted, dull, deep buff to chocolate brown.

Leaf lamina margins prominently recurved, tomentum of lower surface appressed, lustrous, pale buff.

Woody-based herb with short branchlets arising from a sparsely multicipital stock, usually just below the soil surface; living leaves in rosettes at the tips of branchlets; the whole plant forming a mat of rosettes. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted into a pseudostem. Leaf lamina (12)-18-30- (40) × (4)-4.5-7-(9) cm., coriaceous, at first erect, tending to become decumbent with age, oblanceolate to elliptic; upper surface obscurely sulcate, veins sometimes impressed, concolorous, yellow- to pale green, usually silky hairy when young but becoming glabrous except along margins; lower surface densely covered with a lustrous tomentum of pale buff or creamy hairs, veins obvious; tip acute; margins entire, not recurved, with a rim of whitish to buff hairs; base obliquely cuneate; petiole ¼-1/3-(½) length of lamina, pale or occasionally deep purple, usually with a thin covering of lustrous pale hairs which are floccose towards the base. Scape purplish, covered in pale tomentum, up to 50 cm long; bracts numerous, erect, linear and sometimes leaflike; monocephalous. Capitula up to 10 cm diam. Phyllaries in several series, linear-subulate, erect, densely brown tomentose. Ray florets up to 80, ligulate, the limb linear-lanceolate, white. Disc florets up to 250, funneliform, yellow; tube with eglandular biseriate hairs. Achene fusiform-cylindric, ribbed, c. 5 mm long, glabrous. Pappus unequal, c. 9 mm long, of 35-40 bristles, n = 54.

Woody-based herb with short branchlets arising from a multicipital stock, usually just below the soil surface; living leaves in rosettes at the tips of branchlets; the whole plant forming a loose mat of numerous rosettes. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate, and compacted into a pseudostem. Leaf lamina (10)-15-45-(70) × (1.5)-3.5-6-(7.5) cm, somewhat flaccid, errect but tending to spread, lanceolate to narrow-elliptic; upper surface concolorous, bright to dark green, veins obvious; lower surface glabrous, glaucous green; tip acute; margins entire, often slightly recurved; base cuneate; petiole short, to 1/3 length of lamina, usually deep purple, glabrous or with scattered whitish hairs. Scape purple, up to 65 cm long; bracts numerous, erect, subulate, somewhat leafy; monocephalous. Capitula up to 5 cm diam. Phyllaries in several series, subulate, erect, glabrous. Ray florets 60-70, ligulate, the limb more or less linear, creamy white often tinged violet when capitulum first open. Disc florets c. 200, funneliform, yellow; tube with eglandular biseriate hairs. Achene fusiform-cylindric, strongly ribbed, c. 5 mm long, glabrous. Pappus unequal, c. 7 mm long, of 55-60 bristles, n = 54. (Fig. 3).

Woody-based herb with branchlets arising from a simple or multicipital stock, usually hidden; living leaves in rosettes at the tips of branchlets, the whole forming a cushion or mat. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted, forming a pseudostem. Leaf lamina (3)-13-(30) × (0.3)-2-(4.5) cm, usually coriaceous, usually lanceolate-oblong but in some forms ovate or linear-oblong; upper surface shining and sulcate: lower surface densely covered in soft felted tomentum, midrib distinct; tip acute; margins entire and recurved, occasionally minutely toothed. Petiole thin with evident veins. Scape densely clad in floccose white hairs, stout, up to 30 cm long, bracteate, monocephalous. Ray florets 40- 100, ligulate, white. Disc florets 60-200, 5-9 mm long, funneliform: tube glabrous or with scattered uniseriate or biseriate hairs. Achene fusiform cylindric, grooved, 1.5-6.5 mm long, glabrous or glabrate; hairs if present bifid. Pappus hairs 5-9 mm long, barbellate.

Plant forming mats or cushions 20-40-(100) cm diam. Leaf lamina (3)-9-(18) × (0.3)-1.5-(3) cm, ratio of length to width 3.7-11; tomentum pale buff to brown; lamina base angled. Sheath green to deep purple. Corolla of disc florets rarely hairy. Achene usually glabrous, n = 54, 54 + 1f to 54 + 4f.

Plant forming mats up to 1.5 m across. Leaf lamina 7-24 × 0.9-3 cm, ratio of length to width ± 10; abaxial tomentum very pale, almost white; lamina base usually attenuate. Sheath colour greenish, corolla of disc florets and achenes often with uniseriate and biseriate hairs, rarely glabrous. Achene usually with some bifid hairs, n = 54.

Plant forming mats up to 2 m across. Leaf lamina (7)-17-(29) × (1)-2-(4.5) cm, ratio of length to width 5.6-10; abaxial tomentum pale buff; lamina base cuneate to cuneate-truncate. Sheath green to pale purple. Corolla of disc florets, and achene as in ssp. lanceolata. n = 54 + 6f.

Woody-based herb with short branchlets arising from a multicipital stock, usually just below the soil surface; living leaves in rosettes at the tips of branchlets; the whole plant forming a clump of few to many rosettes. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted into pseudostem. Leaf lamina (5)- 10-21-(30) × (1.5)-4.5-6.5-(9) cm, coriaceous, at first erect but later decumbent, lanceolate, elliptic, oblong to sometimes oblanceolate; upper surface often sulcate, concolorous, deep green, glabrous or with whitish hairs especially along the midrib; lower surface densely clad with thick femigineous or deep buff tomentum; tip acute, margins entire, rimmed with femigineous hairs; base obliquely cuneate or truncate; petiole usually short, sometimes up to 1/3-2/3 lamina length, purple, often clad in floccose whitish hairs. Scape purple, clad in buff or ferrugineous tomentum, up to 30 cm long; bracts numerous, erect, linear; monocephalous. Capitula up to 6 cm diam. Phyllaries in several series, linear-subulate, erect, clad throughout with brown tomentum. Ray florets c. 75, ligulate, the limb linear-lanceolate, white. Disc florets c. 160, funneliform, yellow; tube with eglandular, biseriate hairs. Achene fusiformcylindric, strongly ribbed, 5 mm long, glabrous. Pappus unequal 6-7 mm long, of c. 30 bristles.

Woody-based herb with short branchlets arising from a multicipital stock, usually just below the soil surface; living leaves in rosettes at the tips of branchlets; the whole plant forming a mat of rosettes. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted into a pseudostem. Leaf lamina (4)-8-19- (30) × (1.2)-2-4-(7) cm, often flaccid, leaves usually at first erect, becoming decumbent with age, elliptic, oblong, or occasionally obovate; upper surface sometimes obscurely sulcate, concolorous, paleto mid-green, often densely yellow-tomentose when young but hairs usually deciduous; lower surface densely covered in a tomentum of cream to buff hairs; tip acute; margins entire, flat, with a very narrow rim of hairs slightly darker than those of lower surface; base obliquely cuneate to rounded, occasionally truncate; petiole short, up to or rarely exceeding lamina length, occasionally longer, green or purple, clad in floccose, whitish hairs. Scape purple, clad in whitish tomentum, up to 40 cm long; bracts numerous, erect, linear sometimes leaf-like; monocephalous. Capitula up to 6 cm diam. Phyllaries in several series, linear-subulate, erect, glabrate to silky tomentose. Ray florets 70-80, ligulate, the limb linear-lanceolate, white. Disc florets c. 130- 170, funneliform, yellow; tube with eglandular, biseriate hairs. Achene fusiform-cylindric, ribbed, 4- 5 mm long, glabrous or with scattered bifid hairs. Pappus unequal, c. 6 mm long, of c. 20-30 bristles, n = 54.

Plant of few to numerous rosettes forming a loose mat. Leaf lamina up to 30 cm long, usually coriaceous, glabrate to densely tomentose above when mature, tomentum below, cream to buff, dull, veins obscure, base obliquely cuneate to rounded, petiole short to about 2/3 lamina length, green to purple. Phyllaries usually cream, tomentose. Capitulum up to 6 cm diam. n = 54.

Plant of few or sometimes solitary rosettes. Leaf lamina rarely exceeding 10 cm in length, submembranous, often glabrate above when mature except on margin, tomentum below cream and very thin, dull, veins obscure, base rounded to truncate, petiole up to and occasionally exceeding lamina. Phyllaries glabrate, capitulum up to 4 cm diam.

Plant of few to numerous rosettes. Leaf lamina (6)-10-18-(22) cm long, glabrate above when mature, except for a marginal rim of brown hairs, tomentum beneath often lustrous, veins obvious, base obliquely cuneate; petiole usually < ¼ length of lamina, deep purple. Phyllaries buff tomentose. Capitulum up to 6 cm diam. n = 54 + 3f.