Authors: Cass.  

Botanical Description

Densely leafy, glabrous subshrublet with numerous prostrate or flopping stems which usually form wide mats 5-15cm high. Leaves oblanceolate, 1-3.5cm by 4-10mm, acute, deeply lobed or pinnatisect tapering to a long, false petiole. Flowerheads hemispherical, solitary, about 1 by 1-1.2cm with 1cm long yellow ray florets, on long, almost bare peduncles, summer. The silky-velvety seeds have a yellow pappus. Chile and Argentina, from the southern central cordilleras to central Patagonia, both from the volcano and lake districts, typically among rocks or as an element of alpine steppe flora at 2000-2500m H.g. forma patagonicus has serrate leaves. Forma spathulatus differs in its shorter spathulate leaves, serrate towards the tip only, and very short false petioles.