垫头鼠麴草 dian tou shu qu cao

Gnaphalium pulvinatum Delile, Descr. Égypte, Hist. Nat. 266. 1813-1814; Homognaphalium pulvinatum (Delile) Fayed & Zareh.

Herbs, annual, prostrate, densely whitish to grayish lanate tomentose. Stems 5-15 cm, many from base, much branched. Leaves sessile, spatulate or obovate-spatulate, 5-15 × 1.5-4 mm, densely white lanate abaxially, hairy adaxially, 1-veined, base narrowly attenuate, apex mucronate; upper leaves densely crowded. Capitula campanulate, 3-4 mm wide, congested in terminal clusters, surrounded by terminal leaves. Phyllaries 2- or 3-seriate, greenish tinged, narrowly elliptic or linear to lanceolate, apex acute, hyaline at tip. Disk florets 4 or 5, bisexual; female florets numerous. Corolla ca. 1 mm, minutely papillose. Pappus setae white, 6 or 7 in female florets and 3 or 4 in bisexual ones, not united into a ring; apical cell subclavate. Fl. Nov-May.

A weed of arid and semiarid areas; ca. 4000 m. SE Xizang [Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan; Africa (Egypt, Sudan), SW Asia].