2n = 56

Perennial evergreen alpine subshrubs up to 20-30 cm tall at flowering. Leafy stems many, ascending to erect, much branched, stiff and woody towards base, 1.0 cm diam. including leaves. New stems arising at or below ground level, at first far spreading and rooting, later becoming erect. Leaves alternate, sessile, usually erect, appressed, and closely imbricate; narrowly elliptic, slightly concave, 8-15 × 3-5 mm; apex acute, usually thickened beneath; margin entire, smooth; clothed on both surfaces with shining, silvery-blue, appressed tomentum, striate when dry; basal sheath with pale pink margins. Peduncles distinct, 3-6 cm long, terminal on leafy stems, clothed with woolly tomentum and narrow, erect, woolly, leafy bracts c. 15x4 mm, with pink basal sheaths. Inflorescence 10-30 mm diam., consisting of 5-8 capitula arranged in a flat to convex, congested, corymbose cluster, packed with woolly tomentum, and surrounded by 10-15 spreading, narrowly elliptic, acute, woolly, leafy bracts, c. 10 × 5 mm, forming a pseudo-ray. Involucral bracts in 2 or 3 series, papery, linear-lanceolate, c. 5.5 mm long, erect, shining, woolly on the back; stereome green, undivided; lamina membranous, flecked with green, finely serrate; margins membranous, transparent, brownish. Receptacle flat or slightly convex, nude. Outer florets filiform, female, 6-10, in 1 series; corolla yellow, c. 3-4 mm long, slightly dilated towards apex, 4-lobed. Inner florets tubular, hermaphrodite, 10-35; corolla yellow, c. 3-4 mm long, dilated towards apex, 5-lobed. Style arms long, truncate, smooth except for brush of papillae at apex. Anthers yellow, sagittate at base, with short tails. Pappus in 1 series, c. 3 mm long, slightly shorter in filiform florets, flattened at base, minutely scabrid and shining, barely thickened at tips. Achene spindle-shaped, c. 1.5 mm long, obscurely angled; hairs few, 0.1-0.4 mm long. FLOWERING: December to February. Annual flowering occurs in all populations studied but is variable in intensity. The lightly scented flowers are visited by flies, bees, and moths. FRUITING: February to May. Most flower heads examined set abundant fruit, although losses can occur through predation by insect larvae. The fruit is dispersed by wind, but much is shed around parent plants. Germination occurs in the first 12 months following flowering.

Suffrutex perennis sempervirens alpinus L. leontopodio similis, differt autem caulibus longioribus gracilioribus, foliis angustioribus ellipticis acutis plerumque appressis imbricatis, pedunculis brevioribus bracteis angustioribus acutis praedito, inflorescentia minore capitulis flosculisque paucioribus ornata, bracteis floralibus angustioribus acutis, et colore argenteo-caesio. Chromosomatum numerus 2n = 56, tetraploideus.