Stemless, densely tufted, woolly, perennial herbs or stem very short, 3-7 cm high, densely covered with brown scarious old leaf bases with radical rosettes of sterile leaves; stolons usually present, up to 10 cm long, bearing scattered modified scarious leaf blades. Leaves spreading, linear lanceolate, oblanceolate or spathulate, woolly on both surfaces, 1.25-2.5 (-3.0) x 0.2-0.5 cm. Capitula solitary or 3-5, subsessile amongst the leaves (0.5-) 7-13 mm in diameter predominantly female or male. Inflorescence bracts not forming a star-like structure, similar to the other leaves in size texture and indumentum; phyllaries 2-3 seriate, linear lanceolate, 4-6 mm long, margin and the apex of the phyllaries dark brown. Female florets filiform. Corolla c. 5 mm long, 4-lobed. Cypselas brownish sparsely covered with minute hairs, c. 1 mm long; pappus setae of the male florets thin, often totally barbellate; pappus of the female not being barbellate or dilated at the tip, 8-9 mm long.

Fl.Per.: July-October.

Type: In Tibet Occidentali (i.e. Himalaya boreali occidentali) in region subtropicali (sic.) ad 12000-14000 ped. alt. T. Thomson (K!).

A plant of higher altitude, grows between 3500-4500 m in morains, near water streams among sedges; Distribution: Xizang, Nepal, China, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A distinct species, the inflorescence bracts are not different from the rest of the leaves.