Herbs, perennial, stemless. Rosette leaves petiolate; petiole 2-4 cm; leaf blade elliptic to narrowly obovate, 6-30 × 2-5 cm, bipinnately lobed, abaxially white and densely tomentose, adaxially green and strigose or sparsely arachnoid; primary lobes 5-10 pairs, ovate to elliptic; secondary lobes elliptic, obliquely ovate, or semiorbicular, margin spinulose-dentate. Capitula 5-15, clustered in center of leaf rosette, forming a hemispheric synflorescence. Involucre 1.5-2 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 or 6 rows, apically purplish red, apex mucronate; outer phyllaries elliptic, 9-11 × ca. 5 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 12-17 × ca. 5 mm; inner phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic to linear, 1.8-2 × 0.2-0.3 cm. Corolla purplish red, 1.5-2.2 cm, tube ca. 1.2 cm, lobes 4-5 mm. Style branches ca. 1 mm, ± coherent, apex obtuse. Achene tetragonous, obconic, 4-5 mm, ± wrinkled. Pappus bristles in many rows, blackish to yellowish brown, barbellate, ca. 2 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug.

Dolomiaea calophylla is very close to D. macrocephala Royle, which occurs to the SW of Xizang in Nepal, NW India, and Kashmir. That species is said to differ from D. calophylla by larger capitula (involucre to 2.5 cm in diam.; phyllaries to 3.5 cm; corolla 2.5-3 cm; achene 6-8 mm; pappus ca. 2.5 cm), scabrous phyllaries with serrulate margin, and a brown or purplish brown pappus. Further studies are needed to investigate whether these plants actually represent two different species. Dolomiaea macrocephala has been recorded from Xizang (Yadong and Lhasa) (S. Y. Liang, Fl. Xizang. 4: 917. 1985), but no specimens were seen.

● Alpine grasslands, scree slopes; 3300-4700 m. SC Xizang.