Anaphalis margaritacea (L.) Benth. in Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl . 2: 303. 1873. Gnaphalium margaritaceum L., Sp. Pl. 850 . 1753. Anaphalis cinnamomea C.B. Clarke, Compo Ind. 104. 1876; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 3: 279. 1881.

Herbs, erect-decumbent, up to 60 cm high, feebly branched above; stems woolly. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, entire, narrowed at both ends, 1.5 - 10 x 0.8 - 2.4 cm, glabrous and dark green above and densely cinnamomeus tomentose beneath, mostly 3-nerved. Heads many, in terminal, dense corymbs, 3 - 9 mm across; peduncle 2 - 8 mm long, densely woolly. Involucral bracts many-seriate; outermost white, ovate, obtuse or acute, scarious, light brownish at basal end; inner pale yellow-brown, narrow, linear-oblong. Ray florets female with filiform corolla, 2 - 3 mm long, obscurely toothed. Disc florets bisexual. Corolla ca 3 mm long, 5-toothed. Style bifid. Achenes somewhat compressed and narrowly linear- oblong in outline, 1 - 2 mm long; those of disc florets ca 0.3 mm long.

Fl. & Fr. Aug. - Nov.

Distrib. India: W. and E. Himalayas, Gangetic Plain and N.E. region, common as an undergrowth of Pinus, Cedrus and Quercus-Rhododendron forests on shady slopes, ascending up to 4000 m. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and West Bengal.

Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, China, E. Russia, Indo-China, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Korea, C. Europe and N. America.

Notes. Leaves and young plants are said to be eaten as a pot herb.