Plants 10-30(-50) cm. Stems erect to decumbent, puberulent, hairs spreading-deflexed, 0.1-0.3 mm. Leaves not strongly thickened or felty gray-hairy. Ray florets (18-)24-45. Pappi coroniform, usually uneven, ciliate, 0.1-0.3 mm, rarely of awn-tipped scales. 2n = 6.

Flowering (Mar-)Apr-Jul(-Aug). Sand, sandy loam, sandy clay, silt, gravel, river terraces, oak woodlands, mesquite savannas, fields, roadsides; 10-900 m; Ark., Kans., La., N.Mex., Okla., Tex.