Herbs, perennial. Rhizome short and densely branched, with numerous flowering stems and sterile stems. Stems erect, not branched, 15-30 cm tall, woody in lower part, ash-colored arachnoid pubescent, equally densely leafy, lower leaves usually withering during anthesis; internodes 5-8 mm. Leaves lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 10-40 × 1-3.5 mm, both surfaces grayish arachnoid pubescent, basally narrowed, apex acuminate or acute. Capitula 5-7, in dense corymbs, ca. 5 mm in diam.; bracteal leaves numerous, lanceolate, forming a star of 2-5 cm in diam., abaxially concolorous with cauline leaves, adaxially densely white tomentose. Involucre ca. 5 mm, densely grayish arachnoid tomentose; phyllaries 3- or 4-seriate, apex dark brown, acute, glabrous. Corolla ca. 3.5 mm. Achenes papillose. Pappus white, 3-4 mm, serrulate. Fl. Aug-Sep, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Alpine meadows, gravelly slopes, thickets, conifer forest margins; 2400-4000 m. Gansu, Qinghai, W Sichuan.