Tufted herb up to c. 20 cm. tall (shade forms may be distinctly larger) with simple to branched stock, pseudo-stem up to c. 15 cm., us. shorter. Lamina c. (7)-10-(15) cm. × (5)-10-(15)-(20) mm., lanceolate-elliptic to elliptic-oblong, coriac., us. rather stiff to almost rigid; upper surface ± sulcate, clad in silvery pellicle; lower densely clad in white silvery shining appressed tomentum, midrib us. prominent; apex sub-acute, margins slightly recurved, entire or nearly so, narrowed to petiole c. 2-3 cm. long. Sheath up to 10 cm. long, ± densely clad on outer surface and margins in white floccose deciduous tomentum. Scape up to ± 20 cm. long, rather stout, densely floccose; bracts ∞, lower up to c. 30 mm. long, clad in white subfloccose hairs. Capitula 25-30-(40) mm. diam.; phyll. ∞, linear, up to 25 mm. long, or linear-subulate, outer surface clad in floccose hairs, inner glab. except towards apex. Ray-florets ∞, c. 20 mm. long; tube slender, cylindric, limb narrowly obovate-oblong. Disk-florets narrow-funnelform, 6-9 mm. long, teeth narrow-triangular. Achenes glab., or with a very few short hairs on ribs, narrow compressed-cylindric, c. 5-6 mm. long. Pappus-hairs up to 8 mm. long, slender, white, very finely barbellate.

n = 54

Stout woody-based herb with branchlets arising from a multicipital stock, usually hidden; living leaves in large rosettes at the tips of branchlets, the whole plant forming patches of few to many rosettes; leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted, forming a pseudo-stem. Leaf lamina (12)—22—(55) × (1.0)—2.5—(3.2) cm, coriaceous, stiff and erect, lanceolate to oblong; upper surface sulcate, concolorous, somewhat rugose in some plants, dark green but generally masked by a thick lead-coloured, dull pellicle which is sometimes partly deciduous on older leaves; lower surface densely covered in glistening appressed tomentum, midrib moderately prominent; tip acute; margins entire, usually slightly recurved; base gradually narrowed to the petiole. Petiole up to 3 cm long. Sheath up to 8-(20) × 2 cm, greenish or rarely pale purple, clad in floccose white hairs. Scape densely clad in floccose white hairs, stout, up to 35 cm long; bracts very numerous, erect, usually up to 6 cm long and revolute, sometimes lowest bracts much larger and foliaceous; monocephalous. Ray florets 80-100, ligulate, the limb narrow-linear, white. Disc florets c. 250, 8-10 mm long, funneliform, yellow, tube with sparse long, eglandular biseriate hairs at base. Achene fusiformcylindric, strongly grooved, 3-8 mm long, usually slightly hairy; hairs short, appressed, bifid. Pappus unequal, 6-10 mm long, of c. 50 barbellate bristles.