Rhizome slender or thickish, woody, runners ca. 8 cm. Stems laxly or densely caespitose, erect, 20-50 cm, slender or thickish, usually simple or branching after efflorescence or on broken branches, white or ash-gray cottony tomentose, densely leafy. Rosette leaves densely lanate, apex obtuse or rounded. Lower leaves caducous and lost by anthesis; middle leaves oblong, oblanceolate-oblong, or linear, 2.5-9 × 0.2-1.5 cm, base attenuate, decurrent on stem and becoming a narrow or slightly broad wing, margin flat, apex acute, with short and small cusp; upper leaves smaller, lanceolate-linear or linear; all leaves arachnoid lanate, or densely white or yellow-white lanate abaxially or on both surfaces, mixed with glandular hairs, 1- or 3-veined with lateral veins vanishing. Capitula numerous, dense compound corymbiform or polycyclic corymbiform; peduncle slender. Involucre campanulate or almost obconical, 4-5(-6) × 4-6 mm; phyllaries 6- or 7-seriate; outer phyllaries light brownish, oval, ca. 2 mm, arachnoid tomentose; middle ones milky white or dirty white, lingulate-oblong, ca. 3.5 × 1-1.2 mm, apex obtuse or rounded; innermost ones narrower, narrowly elliptic, with a claw ca. 2/3 of full length; phyllaries in male florets usually obtuse. Center of predominantly female capitula with female florets and 1-4 male florets. Corolla 2.8-3 mm. Pappus slightly longer than corolla, incrassate at tip of apex in male florets, serrate. Achene 0.7-1 mm, with small gland. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Aug-Oct.

This is a widespread, extremely variable species. It is similar to Anaphalis aureopunctata but differs in being usually taller and more robust and having leaves denser, involucre smaller, and phyllaries more layered with base beige or gray-brown.

Low hill or subalpine shrub forests, grasslands, hillsides, slopes, banks, riversides; 400-2100 m. S Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, W Henan, W Hubei, E and S Hunan, S Jiangsu, W Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, NE Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan, Korea, ?Nepal].