Waldheimia nivea (Hook. f. & Thomson ex C. B. Clarke) Regel in Acta Horti Petrop. 6: 308. 1879; Kitam. in Res. Kyoto Univ. Sci. Exped. Karakoram Hindukush 1955, 3: 160. 1964; R.R.Stewart, Ann. Cat. Vasc. Pl. W. Pak. & Kashm. 800 . 1972; Kitam. & S.Gould in Hara et al, Enum. Fl. Pl. Nepal 3: 48. 1982; Podlech in Rech. f., l. c. 156; B.D. Naithani in Hajra et al, Fl. Ind. 12: 70. 1995.

A densely appressed gray-white hairy herb, with up to 8 (-10) cm tall, erect, caespitose monocephalous shoots from procumbent, woody, much branched rhizome. Leaves ± sessile, spathulate, (3-) 5 – 8 mm long, 1.5 – 2.5 mm wide, densley lanate on both sides, narrowly cuneate, 3-lobed or 3-toothed at the obtuse apices. Capitula solitary, 1.5 – 1.8 cm across, sessile or on short peduncles. Involucre broadly napiform, 3-4-seriate, 5 – 8 mm broad, phyllaries white woolly outside, narrowly brown membranous on margins, outer oblong-ovate, 4 – 5 mm long, ± acute, inner oblong-oblanceolate, c. 6 mm long, obtuse. Ray-florets sterile, 16-20, with oblong, 6 – 8 x 2 – 3 mm, apically notably bifid, dark pink to reddish-pink ligules. Disc-florets yellow, with 4 – 5 mm long, glandulose, 5-toothed corolla tube. Cypselas ± obconical, 1.5 mm long, glabrous, with sessile glands. Pappus yellowish-brown, bristles linear, 2.5 – 3 mm long, apically broadened, reduced to almost absent in outermost cypselas.

Fl. Pl.: July-September.

Type: In Himalaya boreali-occidentali, ad 15,000 – 17,000 ft., T. Thomson, Falconer & Hay s.n. (K!).

Semi-arid mountain slopes in snow belt and lateral morains of glaciers in gravelly sands from 3200 to 5000 msl in Gilgit, Baltistan, Kashmir and Ladakh; Distribution: Afghanistan (Wakhan), Pakistan, NW India, Nepal, China (Xizang).