Plants 10-70 cm; self-incom-patible. Stems simple or branched (branches diffuse, relatively short, bracted), hirsutulous to strigose, often ± pilose, often glandular, especially distally. Leaves mostly alternate, sometimes opposite to beyond midstems, 3-8 cm, ± hispidulous and ± long-hairy (especially margins and adaxial faces). Heads borne singly or in spiciform (often congested) arrays. Peduncular bracts (often reddish) usually narrowly lanceolate, sometimes narrowed and ± cylindric toward apices, 4-20 mm hispidulous, ± bristly, especially along margins, ± glandular), apices acute, rounded, or truncate, tack-glands usually 2-6+. Phyllaries (± reddish) 4-10 mm, abaxial faces hispidulous, often with long bristles, shaggy long-hairy, especially distally and along margins, glandular, tack-glands (0-)l-15+. Paleae 4-10 mm. Ray florets 2-6; corollas white or cream to rose, or yellow, tubes ca. 3 mm (papillate), laminae 5-10 mm (central lobes smaller than laterals, symmetric, widest at bases, laterals strongly asymmetric, sinuses usually ¹/3-¹/2 laminae). Disc florets 4-20: corollas white or cream to rose, or yellow, 6-10 mm. Ray cypselae ca. 2.5 mm, smooth, glabrous or ± appressed-hairy. Disc cypselae ca. 2.5 mm, nearly smooth to ± appressed-hairy; pappi of ca. 11 lanceolate-aristate scales ca. 2.5-4.5 mm (2-3 shorter, blunt). 2n = l2.

Flowering spring-fall. Dry, open valleys, hillsides, rocky ridges; 50-1000 m; Calif.