Plants 60-120 cm. Stems grayish to nearly green, leafy, loosely tomentose. Leaves grayish green; blades mostly 3-5-nerved, broadly linear, 40-90 × 3-6(-10) mm, faces tomentulose. Involucres 7.5-9.5(-10.5) mm. Phyllaries 11-17, apices erect, obtuse, outer abaxial faces glabrous or with apical tufts of hairs, inner frequently glabrous. Corollas 7.5-9.5 mm, tubes minutely puberulent, lobes 1-1.5 mm, glabrous; style appendages longer than stigmatic portions. Cypselae densely hairy; pappi 7.5-7.6 mm.

Flowering later summer-fall. Sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, mountain brush, and aspen communities; 1300-2900 m; Utah.

Variety salicifolia is known from Cache to Sevier counties. Intermediates between var. salicifolia and var. graveolens have been observed.