Herbs, narrowly erect, (0.5–)1–6 dm, tomentose, whitish to grayish. Stems: aerial flowering stems erect, (0.3–)1–3 dm, tomentose. Leaves cauline; petiole 0.3–1.5 cm; blade narrowly oblanceolate to broadly elliptic, (0.7–)1–3 × 0.5–1.5 cm, densely white-tomentose and whitish to grayish on both surfaces. Inflorescences narrowly cymose, distally uniparous due to suppression of secondary branches, open, (5–)10–50 × 10–25 cm; branches tomentose; bracts 1.5–3 × 1–2.5 mm. Peduncles absent. Involucres appressed to branches, turbinate, 1.5–2.5 × 1–2 mm, tomentose, rarely glabrous; teeth 5, erect, 0.4–1 mm. Flowers (1–)1.5–2 mm; perianth white, becoming pink or red, glabrous; tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl broadly fan-shaped, those of inner whorl oblanceolate; stamens included, 1–1.5 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes dark brown, 3-gonous, 1–1.3 mm. 2n = 26.
