Shrubs, 70-150 cm. Stems ascending to erect, greenish when young, becoming tan to gray, fastigiately branched proximally (± angled from leaf bases), finely scabrous, eglandular. Leaves ascending; blades sometimes appressed, midnerves plus 2 fainter collateral nerves evident, oblanceolate to spatulate, 25-50 × 1-3 mm, flat, margins scabrellous, apices acute to acuminate, faces scabridulous. Heads in corymbiform arrays, clusters to 5 cm wide. Involucres turbinate to subcylindric, 5-7.2 × 1.5-2.3 mm. Phyllaries 13-16 in 3-4 series, in weak vertical ranks, mostly tan, midnerves evident throughout, slightly keeled or convex, elliptic to lanceolate, 0.8-6 × 0.7-1.2 mm, unequal, margins narrowly scarious, entire, apices acute to acuminate, outer often subapically thickened and ± herbaceous, faces glabrous. Receptacles without scales. Ray florets 0. Disc florets 4-5; corollas 4-5 mm, glabrous, lobes 1.5-2.5 mm; style branches exserted, 1.8-3 mm, appendages attenuate, 0.9-1.6 mm. Cypselae tan, narrowly obovate, 2-3 mm, 4-6 ribbed, faces sparsely hairy; pappi whitish tan, 3-4 mm. 2n = 18.

Flowering late summer-fall. Loamy soils in pinyon, juniper, and oak woodlands; 1700-2200 m; N.Mex., Tex.