Phagnalon niveum Edgew.

C. B. Clarke (1876) cited P. niveum Edgew. as a direct nomenclatural synonym of his new species P. denticulatum Decene ex C. B. Clarke, thus automatically making his new species illegitimate.

Small woody herbs with erect or decumbent stem, (5-) 10-30 (-40) cm high, few to profusely branched, branches and stem covered with dense snow white cottony wool. Branches densely foliate. Leaves variable in shape and size, 8-35 (-40) x (2-) 4-8 mm, lanceolate, oblanceolate, linear oblong or spathulate, sometimes much narrowed into a sessile base, apex obtuse or subobtuse, with entire, undulate, dentate or shallowly lobed margins, densely white cottony below, less or ± glabrous above. Peduncles erect, 20-70 (-80) mm long, covered with white cottony wool, bearing a single capitulum. Capitula 8-12 (-14) mm in diameter, multiflorous; phyllaries pluriseriate, densely floccose lanate, outer phyllaries subulate to narrowly lanceolate, 2-2.5 x 0.5 mm; middle ones 3-3.5 x 0.5 mm, ± subulate to narrowly lanceolate, gradually narrowed into a acicular point with entire margins, apex ± opaque, inner phyllaries 6-7 x 0.5 mm, subulate, long acuminate. Bisexual florets tubulose, 5-6 mm long, tube ± glabrous, lobes small ± rounded, ± hairy at the tips. Anthers included to subexserted, totally ecaudate at the base. Style included to subincluded, bifid, stigmas rounded, papillose. Cypselas compressed, sparsely hairy, c. 1 mm long; pappus setae 5, 4-5 mm long, barbellate almost up to the base.

Afghanistan, Chitral, N.W.F.P., Himalaya (Kashmir to Nepal).

Distribution: Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

1700-3000 m

Fl.Per.: May-August.

A fairly common species, usually grows between 600-2000 m in the rock crevices or in cliffs overhanging the rocks.