Plants 10-40 cm. Stems erect to spreading, green when young, becoming brown, branched proximally, densely floccose-tomentose, eglandular. Leaves ascending; blades linear (adaxially sulcate), 10-30 × 1-2 mm, midnerves evident, apices acute, faces mostly densely tomentose, stipitate -glandular; sometimes with axillary leaf fascicles. Heads borne singly or in cymiform arrays. Peduncles 2-20 mm (usually leafy). Involucres obconic, 9-11 × 6-9 mm. Phyllaries 20-30 in 2-3 series, green to tan, oblong to lanceolate, 5-10 × 0.8-1.5 mm, subequal, mostly chartaceous, outer herbaceous or herbaceous-tipped, midnerves usually evident, apices acute to acuminate, abaxial faces hairy, stipitate-glandular. Ray florets 0. Disc florets 10-22; corollas 9-11 mm. Cypselae brownish, narrowly oblong, 5-6 mm, densely hairy; pappi tan, 8-10 mm.

Flowering late summer-fall. Dry, stony slopes; ca. 2300 m; Mont., Wyo.