Herbs, perennial. Stems subscapose. Capitulum large. Involucre densely white lanate. Phyllaries imbricate, herbaceous. Receptacle with long subulate bristles. Corolla limb 3 × as long as tube. Anther tails filiform-acuminate, undivided. Style branches long, slender, divergent, apex truncate to obtuse. Pappus homomorphic, in several rows, inner bristles longer than outer ones, fragile, basally connate into a ring, caducous.

The character combination for this genus is rather unique within the Saussurea group, but Bolocephalus is probably closely related to Dolomiaea and Frolovia. In the protologue, the receptacle was described as naked, whereas by C. Shih (FRPS 78(1): 44. 1987) that description was corrected to a receptacle having long bristles. Bolocephalus is preliminarily maintained here as a distinct genus because morphological data of receptacle, achene, and pappus structure are not sufficient to attribute it to another genus, and molecular data are lacking.

● One species: China.

(Authors: Shi Zhu (石铸 Shih Chu); Eckhard von Raab-Straube)