Low growing, tomentose, greyish perennial subshrubs. Stem erect or spreading (10-) 15-20 cm long, branched, laxly leafy, upper part, whitish woolly, sub-scabrous. Leaves horizontally spreading, 10-15 (-20) x 1-2 mm, greyish or dirty greyish greenish, narrowly oblanceolate, lower surface whitish woolly, upper surface sparsely hairy, apiculate, shortly decurrent with attenuate base. Capitula of loose corymbs, pinkish, 3-4 x 3-5 mm, campanulate, peduncle short, woolly, moderately thick; phyllaries 5-seriate, outer lanceolate, shorter, obtuse, inner and middle spathulate, apiculate, equal in size, longer than outer, shiny, often reddish but sometime straw-yellow coloured. Bisexual florets 25-40 (functionally male) in predominantly male capitula, with female florets 3-5. Corolla of bisexual florets dark brown, tubular with distinct glandular lobes, 2.5-3.2 mm; that of female florets light brown or yellow, filiform 2.5-3 mm long. Cypselas oblong, papillose, 0.5-1 mm long; pappus bristly, white, 2.8-3.5 mm long.

Fl.Per.: August.

Holotype: Afghanistan: Khost: Chakmani Supra Hazar Darakht, in decl. argilloso-saxosis pinetorum (P. gerardiana) boreo-orientum versus expositis, 2400 m, 16. VIII. 1967, Freitag 1754 (W).

Grows in alpine pastures from 2500-4000 m; Distribution: Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Closely related to A. staintonii in having pinkish phyllaries, spreading leaves but differs in having shorter stem and horizontal spreading leaves.