E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a compact, branched woody base; stems erect, solitary or few, branched above, densely woolly-hairy, (1) 5-30 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves linear-oblanceolate to oblanceolate, gradually stalked, 2-10 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, erect, densely woolly-hairy, usually 3-nerved; stem leaves similar, becoming unstalked, linear and reduced upwards.

Flowers:
Heads several in a compact inflorescence; involucres of 2 types, the female ones 5-8 mm tall, involucral bracts oblanceolate, the papery portion conspicuously dark brown or greenish-black below, generally paler towards the often whitish tips, woolly-hairy towards the base, the male ones 3-6 mm tall, similar to the female; female flowers 2.5-4 mm tall, the male flowers 2-3.5 mm tall.

Fruits:
Achenes elliptic, 2-3 mm long, finely hairy; pappus white with hairlike bristles; 6-8 mm tall, the male ones somewhat club-shaped at the the tips.