Vern.: Soop Phunar, Chot Shah.

Waldheimia tomentosa (Decne.) Regel in Acta Horti Petrop. 6: 308. 1879; 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., Fl. Iran. Comp. IV. 158: 158. t.152. 1986; B.D.Naithani in Hajra, Fl. Ind. 12: 72. Fig. 21. 1995.

A densely whitish tomentose perennial, with several laxly to somewhat densely caespitose erect to ascending, 10 – 15 cm tall, simple or branched leafy stems from profusely branched fibrous-rooted rhizome. Leaves shortly petiolate, petiole winged towards the base, oblong, 2 – 5 (-6) cm long, (8-) 10 – 15 (-18) mm wide, white lanate on both sides, (1-) 2-pinnatifid to bipinnatipartite into oblong-lanceolate, ultimate segments absent or present, linear, mucronulate. Capitula solitary terminal, (3-) 4 – 6 cm across, on hairy, short peduncles. Involucre broadly hemispherical to napiform, (12-) 15 – 18 (-20) mm across, phyllaries 3-4-seriate, broadly brown scarious on margins, outer oblong-lanceolate, 6 – 8 mm long, acute, densely whitish tomentose outside and near the base, inner ones linear-oblong, ± scarious. Ray-florets 12-20, fertile, with linear-oblong to narrowly elliptic, 12 – 15 (-20) x 3 – 4 (5) mm, pink to pinkish-white or fading to white. Disc-florets yellow, bisexual, with 3 – 4 mm long, 5-lobed corolla tube. Cypselas oblong-cylindrical, 3 – 4 mm long, sparsely hairy to glabrescent in the upper half, with sessile glands, 6-8-ribbed, pale-brown. Pappus as long as or twice the size of cypselas, bristles dilated above, whitish-yellow to purplish-brown.

Fl. Per.: July-August.

Type: Himalayas, V. Jacquemont s. n. (P).

Distribution: Central Asia (Tian Shan, Pamir Alai), Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (Himachal Pradesh and Utter Pradesh) and Nepal.

Flowers are ground and powder so obtained is used to stop bleeding from wounds inflicted on any part of the body. The ash of the above ground parts of the plant is also used to stop bleeding and to cure ulcers.