软叶紫菀木 ruan ye zi wan mu

Subshrubs, (25-)30-40 cm tall. Stems erect or ascending, many branched, woody in lower part, bark yellow-brown, densely gray-white tomentose, ± glabrescent, current-year branches slender, spreading, ascending or ± curved, gray-white arachnoid-lanate. Leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 10-12(-20) × ca. 3 mm, abaxially white arachnoid-lanate, adaxially shortly arachnoid, ± soft, base cuneate, margin revolute, apex obtuse to ± acute, mucronate. Capitula radiate, large, usually 1-3 in corymbiform synflorescences at ends of branches; peduncle short. Involucre broadly campanulate, ca. 8 × 8 mm; phyllaries 3- or 4-seriate, densely gray-white cottony, margin broadly scarious, erose, ciliate, apex shortly acuminate or ± obtuse, outer shorter, oblong or lanceolate, inner oblong. Ray florets 8, lamina spreading, (whitish pink or pale purple?) yellowish when dry, oblong, ca. 10 × 2.5-3 mm; disk florets 12, yellow, ca. 5 mm, limb narrowly campanulate. Achenes ca. 3.5 mm, moderately to densely strigose. Pappus whitish. Fl. Aug.

Meadows. Nei Mongol [Mongolia].