Tufted or shortly stoloniferous perennial or biennial. Rosette leaves usually dead (sometimes absent) at flowering, narrowly oblanceolate to nearly linear, 6–20 cm long, 3–10 mm wide, upper surface green, glabrous, often shining, lower surface grey or whitish with closely appressed cottony hairs. Flowering stems ascending to erect, to 80 cm high, with c. 6–20, oblong, linear or narrowly lanceolate, shortly stem-sheathing leaves, margins sometimes undulate or crisped. Inflorescence terminal, often with axillary (sometimes pedunculate) clusters below, 1–2.5 cm diam., subtended by 3–6 or more leaves, the longest exceeding the cluster by c. 1–4 cm or more. Terminal clusters with usually more than 20 narrowly ovoid to cylindric (at anthesis) capitula; inner bracts c. oblong, 4–4.5 mm long, rounded to truncate, usually with a crimson band just below the straw-coloured tip; bisexual florets 3–7(–10). Cypselas c. 0.6 mm long, puberulous with short white hairs. Flowers mostly Sep.–Feb.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, HFE, VAlp. All States. New Zealand. Except for the north-west, common in Victoria, particularly in swampy sites, from near sea-level to the higher alps where usually in Sphagnum bogs.
