2n = 112

Perennial evergreen alpine subshrubs forming dense, compact, more or less convex cushions. Leafy stems many, forming erect branched rosettes, 1.5 × 1.5 cm including leaves, woody at base. New stems arising at or below ground level, at first spreading and rooting, later becoming erect. Leaves alternate, sessile, spreading, imbricate, lanceolate, slightly concave to almost flat, 8-10 × 3- 4 mm; apex acuminate, slightly thickened above; margin entire, smooth; clothed on both surfaces with thin, shining, silvery-white, tightly appressed tomentum, striate when dry; basal sheath with pale pink margins. Peduncles distinct, 2-4 cm long, terminal on leafy stems, clothed with woolly tomentum and narrow, erect, woolly, crimped leafy bracts c. 10 × 3 mm, with pink basal sheaths. Inflorescence 10-25 mm diam. consisting of 3-6 capitula arranged in a flat to convex, congested, corymbose cluster, packed with woolly crimped tomentum and surrounded by 10-15 spreading, lanceolate, acuminate, woolly, crimped leafy bracts, c. 10 × 4 mm, forming a pseudo-ray. Involucral bracts in 2 or 3 series, papery, linear-lanceolate, c. 6 mm long, erect, shining, woolly on the back; stereome green, undivided; lamina membranous, flecked with green, obscurely serrate; margins membranous, transparent, brownish. Receptacle flat or convex, nude. Outer florets filiform, female, 6-16, in 1 series; corolla yellow, c. 4 mm long, dilated towards apex, 4-lobed. Inner florets tubular, hermaphrodite, 18-45; corolla yellow, c. 4 mm long, dilated towards apex, 5-lobed. Style arms long, curved, truncate, slightly papillose at apex. Anthers yellow, sagittate at base, with short tails. Pappus in 1 series, c. 4 mm long, slightly shorter in filiform florets, flattened at base, scabrid and shining, thickened at tips. Achene spindleshaped, c. 1.5 mm long, obscurely angled; hairs many, 0.1-0.6 mm long. FLOWERING: December to February. Flowering occurs annually on Mt Peel but varies in its intensity from year to year. The moderately scented flowers are visited by flies and bees. FRUITING: February to April. Most flower heads examined set ample fruit, although the central florets often abort before they reach anthesis, or are not fertilised. Some predation by insect larvae also occurs. The fruit is dispersed by wind, but much is shed around parent plants and seems to germinate soon after fruit fall.

Suffrutex perennis sempervirens alpinus L. leontopodio et L neglectae similis, differt autem habitu pulvinato, caulibus brevioribus ad rosulas foliorum aggregatorum parvorum lanceolatorum acuminatorum redactis, pendunculis brevioribus bracteis angustioribus acuminatis praeditis, inflorescentia bracteisque floralibus minoribus, et colore argenteo-niveo. Chromosomatum numerus 2n = 112, octoploideus.