Perennial herb, stoloniferous. Basal leaves in rosettes, usually densely white-tomentose on both surfaces, often except for mid vein on lower, sometimes less hairy on upper, usually plane, sometimes folded upwards, narrow-elliptic to oblanceolate or±+ linear, cuneate to the sheathing base, obtuse and shortly mucronate, 5-35-(70) × l-6-(7) mm; cauline leaves 2-6, usually much reduced upwards and finally scale-like, sometimes 1-3 leaflike and subtending capitulum at flowering. Flowering stems 1-3, lateral to vegetative rosette, ascending, densely white-tomentose; at flowering 0.5-2.0 cm high and amongst leaves; at fruiting 1-7 cm high, thin and usually exposed above leaves; capitula solitary, (1.5)-2.0-3.0 mm diameter. Mid involucral bracts elliptic-oblong, obtuse, 4.0-5.2 mm long; stereome green, usually tinged reddish purple especially toward apex; lamina mid to dark brown, with darker markings toward base; gap usually dark reddish purple, sometimes clear; margins clear or flushed mauve. Inner bracts narrower; outer bracts shorter, tomentose toward centre and base. Hermaphrodite florets c. 5-8; female florets many. Achenes ellipsoid-cylindric, 1.0-1.3 mm long, with scattered short antrorse hairs.

Herba parva, perennis, rosulans. Capitula solitaria in later alibus florentibus caulibus ex foliis rosulatis exorientibus producta, (1.5)-2-3 mm diametro. Bracteae mediinvolucrales4-5.2mmlongae. Floreshermaphroditi c. 5-8. Achenia glabra. A G. traversii capitulis multo minoribus involucri bracteisque brevioribus differt. A G. paludoso et G. polylepide capitulis plerumque majoribus, involucri bracteis longioribus, superiore folii pagina tomentosa, habituque robustiore differt.