densely white-woolly, many stemmed, with rosulate radical leaves; stems ascending, simple or branched, densely leafy below, more laxly upwards; leaves obovate-oblong, acute, or obtuse, immersedly 3-nerved; heads crowded, many together in densely-woolly tufts, subtended by several floral-leaves, heterogamous; inner inv. scales taper-pointed, strongly reflexed, white, rosy, or deep purple. Perennial. Radical leaves numerous, 1–2 1/2 inches long, 1/3– 2/3 inch wide. Cauline leaves smaller and narrower, sometimes densely, sometimes laxly set, membranous (when stripped of wool), in the weaker varieties spathulate. Stems 6–12 inches high, simple or corymbose. Heads glomerated in wool, a few fl. female. Inv. scales much acuminate and recurved, very variable in colour. Thunberg's G. tinctum is very dwarf; DC.'s, at least Ecklon's quoted specimens, immature, but, as I think, otherwise undistinguishable. Our var. β. looks much more like a species, all the heads being quite separate. But it grows with the ordinary form, and I have a nearly intermediate specimen from Mr. Hutton.
