Herbs, perennial. Rhizomes short, with rosette leaves, very rarely without rosette leaves. Roots fleshy, numerous. Stem arising from outer axil of rosette leaves, solitary, or 2- or 3-crowded, usually scapelike. Leaves all or many crowded and basal, petiolate; petiolar base broadly sheathed; leaf blade palmately, pinnately, or parallel veined. Stem leaves alternate, bracteal, with or without sheath. Capitula solitary or many in raceme, nodding; leaflike bracts linear, rarely broadly ovate or elliptic. Involucre hemispheric, rarely broadly campanulate, base rounded; phyllaries in 2 rows, imbricate, outer phyllaries narrow; inner phyllaries broad, often margin membranous, or phyllaries in 1 row, equal in size, base united; all phyllaries outside glabrous or hairy, apex ciliate. Receptacle flat, without scales. Outer florets female, radiate or rarely narrowly tubular; lamina well developed, diverse, usually several times as long as involucre, rarely absent. Central florets tubular, bisexual; limb 5-lobed. Anthers basally obtuse. Style branches compressed, apex obtuse or triangular, papillose-hairy. Achenes glabrous, ribbed. Pappus of denticulate hairs as long as or shorter than tubular corolla, rarely absent.

About 69 species: Bhutan, China, India, Kashmir, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan; 69 species (46 endemic) in China.

(Authors: Liu Shangwu (刘尚武); Irina D. Illarionova)