Herbs, perennial, dwarf to medium sized, rhizomatous; stems erect, simple, densely greyish tomentose with black glandular hairs or glabrous. Leaves both radical and cauline; petiole glabrous to sparingly black-glandular pubescent, slender to stout, winged or simple with broad sheathing base; cauline leaves alternate, small, linear, bractiform, or large, ovate-oblong, overlapping, covering most part of the scape, glabrous to densely greyish or white tomentose with black glandular pubescence on the lower surface, shortly petioled or sessile with large vaginate base. Capitula heterogamous, radiate or discoid, yellow to pale pink, large, solitary terminal, or small and few in simple, lax or dense raceme or corymb, cernuous or semicernuous, rarely erect, suburceolate, hemispheric or campanulate, fragrant. Involucre broadly campanulate, densely greyish tomentose with black glandular hairs; bracts sub 2-seriate, overlapping, unequal. Receptacle flat, subconvex, naked and pitted. Ray florets conspicuous, uniseriate, elliptic, equally cuneate at both ends or very long, gradually tapering, broader at the base or obcuneate and broadest above, prominently nerved, entire to 3 - 4-toothed at the apex. Disc florets numerous, tubular. Anther base subentire or small auricled. Style arms short or long, flattened, obtuse or acute, papillose. Achenes oblong, angular, narrowed above, 5 - 10-ribbed, glabrous, all pappose. Pappus hairs white, dull bronze, or reddish, copious, slender, rough, barbellate.
Distributed in Nepal, Tibet and China; ca 55 species, 14 in India.
Literature.
GOOD, R. (1929). The Taxonomy and geography of the Sino-Himalayan genus Cremamhodiam Benth. J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 48: 259-316. HOFMAN, (1894). Pflanzenfamilien 4(5): 301. LUDLOW, F. (1976). Cremanthodium. Reliquiae Botanicae. Himalaica. Bull. Brit. Mus. Nat. (Bot.) 5(5): 278 - 279.
