The common base of the flowers in the same head are low cone-shaped, about 1 cms long and 1 cm (0.4 in) wide, and is subtended by pointy lance-shaped bracts of about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) wide, cartilaginous, tightly adpressed overlapping and set with short soft hairs with a tuft of long grey hairs at the tip.