Herbs, annual; taproot slender. Stems arising directly from the root, erect to spreading, solid, not fistulose or disarticulating into ringlike segments, sparsely glandular. Leaves usually quickly deciduous, basal, rosulate; petiole present; blade oblong to broadly spatulate, margins entire. Inflorescences terminal, cymose, uniparous due to suppression of secondaries; branches dichotomous, not brittle or disarticulating into segments, solid, sparsely glandular; bracts 3, positioned to side of node, connate ca. 1/ 4 their length, linear to linear-lanceolate, commonly acerose, awned, sparsely glandular. Peduncles absent. Involucres 1 per node, tubular, prismatic, 3-angled, 3-awned basally on saccate lobes; teeth 5, awn-tipped, awns straight. Flowers 2 per involucre; perianth white to pink, campanulate when open, cylindric when closed, pubescent proximally abaxially; tepals 6, connate proximally, monomorphic, 2-lobed apically; stamens 9; filaments free, glabrous; anthers pink to red, oblong. Achenes mostly included, brown, not winged, 3-gonous, glabrous. Seeds: embryo curved. x = 19.