Plants herbs, matted, scapose, 0.2–1.5 dm tall, 0.5–4 dm across; stems matted, with persistent leaf bases, up to 1/5 height of plant, the caudex stems matted, the aerial flowering stems scapelike, erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.2–1 (1.5) dm long, tomentose or floccose to subglabrous or even glabrous; leaves basal, fasciculate in terminal tufts, the petioles (0.2) 0.4–2 (3) cm long, tomentose, the blades oblanceolate to spatulate or elliptic, 0.5–1.5 (2) cm long, (0.2) 0.3–0.8 (1) cm wide, densely white- or greenish-tomentose on both surfaces, the margins plane; inflorescences capitate, 0.8–1.7 (2) cm long, the branches absent, the bracts 3–5, linear to narrowly scalelike, triangular, 1.5–3 mm long; peduncles absent; involucres 3–5 per cluster, turbinate- campanulate to campanulate, 2.5–3.5 mm long, 2.5–4 mm wide, membranous, sparsely pubescent or rarely sparsely glandular abaxially, the teeth 5–6, erect to spreading, 0.7–1.8 (2) mm long; flowers (2.5) 3–3.5 mm long, the perianth greenish-yellow or pale yellow, rarely yellow, glabrous or sparsely glandular abaxially, the hypanthium 1⁄4-1⁄2 length of perianth, the tepals monomorphic, spatulate to obovate, the stamens exserted, 2–3.5 mm long, the filaments glabrous or sparsely pilose proximally; achenes light brown, 2.5–3 mm long, glabrous except for slightly papillate beak in some. 2n = 40.

Continue reading →