Small slender cushion-forming subshrub with branchlets up to 6 cm long. Living leaves tending to be near the tips of the branchlets and sometimes forming small rosettes. Leaf lamina linear, apiculate, rigid, reflexed at the base, 1-2cm × 1-2mm; upper surface covered with a silvery to grey pellicle; lower surface with a loose scurfy grey tomentum; sheath ± 1 cm long. Scape 4-6cm × 1.5mm, reddish, clad in deciduous eglandular hairs. Involucral bracts erect, up to 9 mm long, margins fringed with short hairs, abaxial surface bearing many eglandular hairs. Receptacle obconic and alveolate. Capitulum 1-1.5 cm diameter. Ray florets ± 1 cm long, tube glabrous. In disc florets, corolla tube gradually narrowed from apex to base, glabrous; stamen tip acute, anther tails short; style bifid, the arms differentiated into a lower parallel-sided papillose portion and an upper attenuate portion bearing long collecting hairs. Pappus bristles unequal, up to 4.5 mm long, with distant or sometimes moderately close fine teeth. Achene 1.5-2 × 0.4 mm, fusiform, compressed, weakly ribbed and clad in bifid hairs.

Subfrutex parvus gracilis pulviniformis. Folia recentia plerumque prope ramulorum apices, interdum rosulata. Folii lamina linearis, apiculata, rigida, basi reflexa, 1-2 cm × 1-2 mm; pellicula paginae superioris argentea vel cana; pagina inferior tomento laxo furfuraceo cano veslita. Scapus rubellus. Involucri bracteae erectae, marginibus fimbriatis, pagina abaxialis villosa. In disci floribus corollae tubus sensim angustata, glabra; pars sterilis brachiorum styli attenuata. Pappi setae ad 4-5 mm longae. Achenia 1.5-2 mm × 0.4 mm fusiformia pilis bifidis vestita.

Woody-based perennial herb arising from a multicipital stock. Leaf lamina linear, rigid but recurved, 5-15 cm × 3-5 mm; upper surface grooved, dark green, clad in a thick pellicle which becomes golden on drying; lower surface clad in thick appressed white tomentum, midrib prominent; margins entire, often revolute. Sheath 3-6 cm long, membranous, yellow-orange and clad in a thin pellicle. Scape 10-15 cm × 2-3 mm, bracts few. Involucral bracts erect, linear-oblong to subulate, acute, up to 12 mm long, inner narrower than outer; margins fringed with long white hairs, particularly near the base; surface almost glabrous; venation simple. Receptacle obconic, upper surface alveolate. Ray florets up to 2 cm long, limb linear and glabrous, tube narrow with a few eglandular hairs near top. In disc florets, corolla tube gradually narrowed from apex to base, glabrous or sparsely hairy with long biseriate hairs; stamen tip acute, anther tails short; style bifid, the arms differentiated into a lower parallel-sided papillose portion and an upper short-triangular portion bearing short collecting hairs. Pappus bristles unequal, up to 4 mm long, with closely spaced short teeth. Achene 2-3 × 0.5 mm, fusiform, compressed, strongly ribbed and clad in bifid hairs.

Herba perennis, basi lignea, ex caudice multicipiti exoriens. Folia recentia rosulata. Folii lamina linearis, rigida sed recurva, 5-15 cm × 3-5 mm; pagina superior sulcata, atro-viridis, pellicula aurea ubi sicca; pagina inferior tomento albo denso appressoque vestita. Vagina crocea. Involucri bracteae erectae, marginibus fimbriatis, paginis glabris, neryis simplicibus. In disci floribus corollae tubus sensim angustatus, glabrus vel sparsim villosus; pars sterilis styli brachiorum breve triangulata. Pappi setae ad 4 mm longae. Achenia 2-3 × 0.5 mm fusiformia pilis bifidis vestita.