2n = 28

Tufted, silver-grey perennial herb with widely spaced groups of 1—10 upright shoots, 1—3 cm high and 1 cm in diameter, produced from long, slender, branched rhizomes. Aerial stems sparingly and shortly branched or sometimes unbranched, entirely obscured by leaves. Leaves imbricate, with leaf base clasping stem and with lamina spreading at an angle of approximately 45°, broadly obovatespathulate, (6.9-)8.0-9.0(-9.7) mm long and (4.6-)5.5-7.0(-8.5) mm wide, densely lanate all over both surfaces; lamina 4.2—5.0(-6.5) mm long, widest in upper third, slightly folded along midrib; apex truncate, not mucronate; leaf hairs loosely appressed, ascending, matted, crinkled at free ends; venation reticulate, brochidodromous, vein orders 5; anatomy equifacial; base (2.5—)3.0-4.0(-4.4) mm long, widest in upper third, frequently pink-tinged, with 3 strong veins. Capitula (2—)4—6(—9) per stem, one terminal and associated with 2 leaves, the others usually sessile in the axils of the upper leaves, rarely terminal on very short axillary shoots with no stem elongation and with 2 small leaves; capitula cluster, including leaves, 15 mm in diameter. Capitulum 7.7— 9.0 mm long, 1.7—3.0 mm wide. Involucral bracts 14—15, outermost bracts 5—7 mm long and 2.6 mm wide including margins; innermost bracts narrowly rhombic, 7.1—7.6 mm long and 2.2 mm wide including margins; lamina 3.3 mm long and 1.0 mm wide, pale brown near base, bright brown above; apex acute; margins broad, hyaline; stereome 3.8-4.7 mm long, pale green, not fenestrated, vein extending into lamina. Receptacle 0.5-1 mm in diameter, high and rounded with florets attached to the sides as well as the top. Florets 7—11, all of the female and some of the hermaphrodite florets arranged in a ring and surrounding the remaining hermaphrodite florets. Female florets 3—5; corolla 4.2 mm long, red below lobes, otherwise translucent pale green; tube 0.15 mm wide, broadening to 0.3 mm at base. Hermaphrodite florets 3-6; corolla 4.6 mm long, broadening only slightly above, red below lobes; tube 0.4 mm wide; lobes 0.6 mm long, translucent pale green with a small variable amount of red pigment, not spreading, margins papillose, veins sometimes extending to tip, but variable in a single floret; biseriate capitate hairs on lobes and a few on upper part of tube, a few simple long-tailed hairs on lobes. Anthers far exserted from corolla; apical anther appendage flat, tapering; anther tails far exceeding filament collar. Pollen 22—31 mcm; spines c. 3 mcm long; spine density 15—17. Mature cypsela 1.5—1.9 mm long and 0.8 mm wide, ridged, reddish or brown; papillae 38 mcm long and projecting at right angles to surface. Pappus hairs 22—34 in one complete and one partial series, often tangentially joined in groups at the base, 5.3—5.6 mm long; shaft 40—55 mcm wide; tip as wide to more than twice as wide as shaft; apical cells 2—7, obtuse; barbs short, confined to lower part, projecting and interlocking at base.

Planta perennis, herbacea. Capitula sessilia aliquot per omnes caules; capitulum unum terminate, cetera in axillis foliorum superiorum; receptaculum minutissimum; flores feminei flores hermaphrodites numero plus minusve aequantes; stigmatis papillae per styli ramos non decurrentes; cypsela papillis longis projectis dense velata.