Diplopappus molliusculus Lindley ex Candolle, Prodr. 5: 277. 1836; D. roylei Lindley ex Candolle.

Herbs, perennial, 8-30(-40) cm tall, caespitose; caudex taprooted, sometimes thick and woody. Stems erect, simple, sometimes branched in upper part, sparsely villosulous, more densely so upward and below leaves, very sparsely to moderately minutely stipitate glandular, resinous. Leaves cauline, usually gradually increased upward, abaxially pale green (± spongelike), adaxially green, abaxially glabrous or sparsely strigose or villosulous, veins sparsely strigillose to strigose, sparsely minutely stipitate glandular in pits, adaxially glabrous, strigose, sparsely scabridulous, or sparsely villosulous, sometimes resinous, margin sparsely ciliate, midvein prominent abaxially, apex acute, mucronate; lowest leaves usually withered by anthesis, scaly, marcescent; lower to upper leaves shortly petiolate (petiole to 1 cm), oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 1-3.5 × 0.3-0.8 cm, base attenuate to cuneate, margin sometimes revolute, entire (lower) or 2-6-serrate (upper). Capitula terminal, solitary (rarely 2) on branches; peduncles 3-13 mm, sparsely to densely strigillose, sometimes minutely stipitate glandular; bracts linear-lanceolate, entire. Involucres campanulate, 7-10 mm; phyllaries 2- or 3-seriate, unequal, green distally, linear-lanceolate, 0.5-1.1 mm wide, glabrous or strigillose on midvein, eglandular, margin scarious, erose, eciliate, midvein swollen or ridged proximally, ± translucent, apex acuminate, erose, purplish, eciliate; outer phyllaries 4-5 mm; middle phyllaries 6-7 mm, base hardened; inner phyllaries 6-9 mm. Ray florets 15-25, white or pink, tube hairy, sometimes minutely stipitate glandular, lamina 5-9 × 1.5-2.1 mm; disk florets yellow, 5-6 mm, tube base flared, tube and limb base sometimes sparsely hairy, minutely stipitate glandular, limb ± campanulate, 3-3.5 mm, lobes spreading, narrowly triangular, 0.8-1 mm, glabrous, eglandular. Achenes oblong, slightly compressed, 3-4 mm, moderately to densely strigillose, eglandular, 4-ribbed. Pappus 4-seriate, dirty white; outermost series ± scaly, 0.5-1.5 mm; outer bristles few, slender, 2.5-3.5 mm; inner bristles 4.5-5 mm, acute; innermost bristles 5-6.5 mm, weakly clavate to clavate. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jun-Sep. 2n = 18, 27.

Alpine and subalpine stony slopes; 1800-3500 m. W Xizang [NW India, Kashmir, Pakistan].