Subshrubs; rhizome woody. Stems numerous, erect or ascending, strongly branched, white to gray tomentose or arachnoid or villosulous to villous or villosulous-tomentose. Leaves sessile, small, crowded, subleathery, margin often revolute, 1-veined. Capitula radiate or sometimes discoid, solitary at ends of stems or branches or 3-5 in corymbiform synflorescences. Involucre broadly campanulate or subhemispheric; phyllaries 3- or 4-seriate, imbricate, usually unequal, often apically purple tinged, leathery, margin broad, scarious, erose, whitish, midvein distinct, brownish or reddish, apex acute. Receptacles ± flat, alveolate, irregularly denticulate. Florets fertile. Ray florets female, blue, light violet, or whitish pink; disk florets bisexual, yellow, turning pink, limb funnelform to narrowly campanulate, 5-lobed, lobes lanceolate; anther base obtuse, appendage lanceolate; style branch tips triangular. Achenes oblanceoloid, ± compressed, 2- or 3-ribbed, ± densely strigose. Pappus white, yellowish, reddish, or dirty white, barbellate, equaling disk corollas, in 3 or 4 series, outermost few, short, thin, outer and inner long, acute, innermost few, ± slightly clavate.

About seven species: C Asia; five species in China.

(Authors: Chen Yilin (陈艺林 Chen Yi-ling); Luc Brouillet)