Echinospermum canum Bentham in Royle, Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts. 1: 306. 1836; Eritrichium strictum Decaisne; E. strictum var. thomsonii C. B. Clarke.

Herbs perennial, 15-40 cm tall. Stems erect or decumbent, frequently woody at base, not branched or short branched above, densely appressed white sericeous. Petiole of basal leaves to 5 cm, pubescent; leaf blade narrowly lanceolate, to 8 cm × 6 mm, densely white sericeous, base broadly cuneate, apex acute to acuminate; stem leaves 1 to several below inflorescences, sessile, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, reduced upward. Inflorescences 2 or 3, forked, many flowered, corymbose at anthesis, becoming racemelike, to 15 cm after anthesis; bracts linear. Pedicel erect, 1-1.5 cm in fruit, short pubescent. Calyx lobes ovate, 1-2 mm, appressed pubescent, apex obtuse. Corolla light blue, campanulate-rotate; tube shorter; throat yellow or orange; appendages trapeziform or low trapeziform; lobes suborbicular, ca. 3 mm wide. Nutlets subturbinate, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm excluding marginal glochids; marginal glochids ca. 1 mm, confluent at base adaxially, glabrous or short pubescent or tuberculate; abaxially flat or slightly convex, sparsely pubescent; attachment scar at base adaxially. Fl. and fr. Jun-Jul. 2n = 24.

Gravelly slopes, sandy river banks and marshes; 2700-5600 m. Xinjiang (Yecheng Xian), Xizang [Afghanistan, N India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan].