stems filiform, hairy all over, the young parts rusty tomentose, hairs at length discoloured and often more or less curled; leaf-scales ovate, subobtuse, up to 1 1/2 lin. long, very slightly produced downwards at the obtuse base, loosely hairy; inflorescences peduncled, capitate, 3–5-flowered, rarely reduced to a single flower, rusty-tomentose; peduncles solitary or in fascicles of 2–4, up to 3 lin. long, with 2 lateral scale-leaves at the very base, resembling the subtending scale-leaf, but usually more elliptic and more obtuse; bracts and bracteoles broad-ovate to rotundate, 1/2–1 lin. long, subhyaline, rusty-pubescent and ciliate; perianth greenish, at the time of flowering 1 1/2 lin. long; receptacle rusty-pubescent; segments subhyaline, outer rotundate or rotundate-ovate, 1/2– 3/4 lin. long, ciliate; otherwise glabrous, inner ovate-oblong, when flattened out, subobtuse or, owing to the more or less inflexed sides, lanceolate-triangular and almost acute, 1 1/4 lin. long, glabrous without, minutely pubescent within, 3-nerved; stamens of the first 3 whorls fertile; anthers ovate; filaments broad-linear, those of the first whorl ciliate, of the second very short, of the fourth reduced to triangular thick staminodes. Fruit up to 3 lin. in diam. null