Perennials, 10-70 cm; rhizomatous, fibrous-rooted, sometimes with branched caudices and scale-leaved stolons. Stems erect, sparsely hispido-villous (hair cross walls sometimes black), often glabrate, eglandular. Leaves basal (persistent or not) and cauline; proximal blades broadly oblanceolate to elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, 40-120(-150) × 7-25 mm, margins entire or with 1-5 pairs of shallow teeth, faces sparsely strigose to strigoso-villous, eglandular; cauline blades becoming elliptic-ovate to lanceolate, gradually reduced distally (bases usually claspi ng). Heads 1(-4). Involucres 7-10 × 10-16 mm. Phyllaries in 2(-3) series, hirsuto-villous (hair cross walls black), minutely glandular. Ray florets 45-140; corollas 9-25 mm, laminae coiling, white. Disc corollas 3-4.4 mm. Cypselae (1.3-)1.5-1.8 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 20-25 bristles. 2n = 18.

Flowering (Jun-)Jul-Sep. Moist coniferous woods, moist to wet meadows, open areas along creeks, aspen, spruce-fir; 1800-3700 m; Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.