Plants 20-40 cm. Stems erect to ascending, green, becoming tan, branched, stipitate-glandular. Leaves ascending; blades obovate to spatulate (flat), 10-30 × 4-12 mm, midnerves evident (1-2 collateral nerves sometimes present, abaxial reticulum of secondary veins often evident), (margins often undulate) apices obtuse, apiculate, faces densely stipitate-glandular; axillary fascicules usually absent. Heads in cymiform to racemiform arrays (1-3 cm wide). Peduncles 1-7 mm (stipitate-glandular). Involucres obconic, 6-8 × 4-7 mm. Phyllaries 22-28 in 4-6 series, tan, ovate to elliptic, 1-6 × 0.5-1.2 mm, strongly unequal, mostly chartaceous, midnerves evident, (margins narrowly membranous, entire or minutely lacerate) apices acute to acuminate, abaxial faces mostly stipitate-glandular, resinous. Ray florets 4-9; laminae elliptic, 3.5-6 × 1.2-1.8 mm. Disc florets 9-15; corollas 6.2-6.8 mm. Cypselae tan to reddish brown, columnar, 3.5-4.5 mm [ribs unknown], villous; pappi tan, 4-5.5 mm. 2n = 36.

Flowering late summer-fall. Open rocky soils, mostly associated with desert shrub, pinyon-juniper, and lower ponderosa pine; 1500-3400 m; Utah.