Tufted herb producing offset plants from short rhizomes; lf-sheaths closely compacted, forming a pseudo-stem c. 15 cm. long. Lamina glab. or very nearly so on both surfaces, pliant, almost membr., (15)-30-50 × 5-10-(15) cm., lanceolate to narrow-lanceolate, rather bluish green above, paler and ± keeled below. Apex long-acuminate; margins entire, somewhat thickened, tapering to rather broad grooved petiole c. 15 cm. long, us. with a few hairs, then widening to sheath c. 15 cm. long. Scape ± 30-60 cm. long, stout, glab. or very nearly so, ± fistular. Bracts amplexicaul, loosely sheathing, sublanceolate, acuminate, very sparsely hairy; lower laminae up to c. 4 cm. long, upper sts forming pseudo-involucre. Capitula 4-5 cm. diam.; phyll. ∞, ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, ± sphacelate. Ray-florets white, sts pink-flushed; tube narrow, thickened below, limb. us. distinctly 3-nerved and -toothed. Disk-florets ∞, tubular, somewhat thickened at base, teeth ovate-triangular. Achenes narrow-cylindric, glab., ± strongly ribbed or striate. Pappus-hairs ∞, white, barbellate, < disk-florets.

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).