Tufted perennial, 4-15 cm tall, forming clumps up to 2 dm across, covered with white, felty or woolly tomentum; basal leaves linear or linear-oblanceolate, 2-4 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat or with margins rolled inwards; stem leaves reduced to small scales; flower stems taller than basal leaves and terminated by one or three heads; flower heads about 10 mm long, involucral bracts in one or two series, green or becoming purplish at maturity; disk flowers yellow, ray flowers absent; achenes sparsely short-hairy along the longitudinal angles; pappus of white capillary bristles. Flowers April and early May.