Chrysanthemum griffithii C. B. Clarke, Comp. Ind. 148. 1876; R. R. Stewart, Ann. Cat. Vasc. Pl. W. Pak. & Kashm. 731. 1972; Matricaria spathipappus C. Winkl. in Acta Horti Petrop. 10: 85. 1887; Pyrethrum griffithii (C. B. Clarke) Buser in Boiss., Fl. Or. Suppl. 299. 1888; Spathipappus griffithii (C. B. Clarke) Tzvelev in Fl. URSS 26: 262. tab. 10, fig. 1. 1961; Podlech in Rech. f., Fl. Iran. Comp. IV. 158: 148. t. 144. 1986.

Shrublet, up to 45 (-50) cm tall, with several, erect to ascending, green arachnoid hairy branches from the woody, c. 1 cm thick rootstock. Leaves on short to long petioles, absent or reduced in the upper parts, arachnoid hairy to glabrescent, lower oblong or oblong-ovate, 20 – 40 mm long, bi- or tripinnatisect into linear, 0.5 – 1 mm wide, mucronulate ultimate segments, uppermost reduced, linear, entire. Capitula solitary at the apices of branches. Involucre napiform or broadly hemispherical, 10 – 15 (-18) mm across, 3-4-seriate, phyllaries externally green , whitish puberulous, imbricate, outermost triangular-lanceolate, narrowly brownish membranous on margins, acute, inner oblong, twice as long as outermost, broadly brown membranous and lacerate on margins, acute to obtuse. Ray-florets female, sterile, tube compressed, with oblong, 7 – 10 x 3 – 4 mm, 3-dentate white ligule. Disc-florets bisexual, with 5-dentate, 3 – 4 mm long, apically dilated, sparsely punctate glandular corolla tube. Cypseals narrowly obconical, 3 – 3.5 mm long, shortly curved, 5-costate, punctate-glandular. Pappus obliquely entire, 1.5 – 2.4 mm long.

Fl. Per.: July-August.

Holotype: Afghanistan, W. Griffith 1150 (Herb. Late East Ind. Comp. 3191) (K!).

Crevices in rocks, morains of Tirich Mir Glaciers, gravel beds, shallow slopes from 3000 to 4000 m; Distribution: Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (Himalayas), and China (Xizang).