Stems rather stout, woody, prostrate to sprawling; branches clad in lf-remains; lvs closely imbricate, living ones forming ± crowded rosulate tufts--a single plant may extend to c. 1 m. diam. Lamina coriac., spreading, 2-4 cm. × 8-12 mm., oblong to obovate-oblong to ± spathulate, obtuse or subacute, ± cuneately narrowed to base; upper surface clad in soft appressed hairs or thin pellicle (type described as glab., some forms ± viscid); lower surface clad in very dense appressed white satiny tomentum; margins distantly denticulate; petiole 0 or flat, up to c. 5 mm. long. Sheath subcoriac., glab. to sparsely hairy, c. 15 mm. long. Scape ± 10-15 cm. long, slender, glandular-pubescent, often clad in white tomentum; bracts linear-subulate, up to 2 cm. long, indumentum as in lvs. Capitula 2-3 cm. diam.; phyll. linear-subulate, acute to acuminate, up to ± 10 mm. long, clad without in dense white sub-floccose tomentum, ± glab. within, midrib evident. Ray-florets c. 12 mm. long, limb narrow-oblong; disk-florets ± 6 mm. long, tubular-funnelform, teeth minute. Achenes slender, cylindric, c. 3 mm. long, rather densely clad in short stiff ascending hairs. Pappus-hairs white, up to c. 5 mm. long, very minutely barbellate.

Stems very stout, up to ± 35 cm. long and 5 mm. diam. Lamina viscid, obovate-oblong, ± 3-4 × 1-1·5 cm., minutely apiculate, remotely denticulate; petiole flat, ± 5 mm. long, abruptly expanded into sheath. Scape ± 10 cm. long, glandular-pubescent; bracts linear-spathulate, apiculate, lower up to 2 cm. long. Capitula ± 25 mm. diam.; phyll. to 10-12 mm. long, linear-oblong, upper 2/3 floccose, lower 1/3 pale, indurated, with marginal hairs. Achenes ± 3 mm. long, compressed-obovoid; ribs fine, clad in soft spreading hairs.

Hooker (loc. cit. 123) gives the diagnosis: "Caule brevi robusto diviso, folioso, foliis congestis patulis lineari- v. oblongo-obovatis obtusis subacutisve remote et obscure dentatis superne glaberrimis subsulcatis luride viridibus subtus lana arcte appressa argenteis, petiolo brevi lato vagina sulcata sericea, scapis gracilibus bracteis subulatis involucrique (subsquarrosi) squamis glanduloso-pubescentibus, capitulis ut in , acheniis sericeis, receptaculo profunde alveolato."

Lamina narrow-obovate to elliptic-spathulate, ± 15 × 6-10 mm., sub-acute, cuneately narrowed to petiole. Scapes very slender, up to c. 15 cm. long. Capitula 10-15 mm. diam.

n = 54