Herbs, annual. Stems 5-80 cm tall, generally branching from base, with erect or ascending branches, often slightly sinuate, forkedly branching at apex, gray appressed pubescent. Leaves thin, oblong-spatulate, 1.5-2 cm × 4-6 mm, pubescent with long appressed gray tomentum sparsely on both sides, narrowed to base, apex obtuse or shortly acuminate. Capitula ovate, ca. 5 mm, gathered in 10s-15s into dense ± globose corymbs, 6-12 mm in diam., arranged in bifurcations of stems and at apices of branches; floral leaves slightly exceeding capitula in length. Involucre 3-5-seriate; outer phyllaries lanceolate, cymbiform, 5-5.5 × ca. 1 mm, abaxially with distinct light gray long lanate pubescence, apex straight or slightly unbent, thin, with subulate acumen; inner phyllaries broadly lanceolate, flat, 4-4.5 mm, scarious, becoming green in middle, transparent white at margin, long acuminate at apex; innermost phyllaries lanceolate, shortly acuminate, or oblong-ovate, obtuse, flat, transparent white, glabrous. Bisexual florets 5-7. Achenes oblong-obovate, 0.5-0.8 × 0.2-0.4 mm, finely papillate, outer achenes epappose, inner ones bearing a few bristles. Pappus of bisexual florets with 12-14 bristles.

Dry slopes, dunes. Xinjiang, Xizang [Kazakhstan, Russia; SW Asia (Iran), Europe].