Peduncles glabrous. Involucres glabrous. 2n = 80.

Flowering Jun-Sep. Sandy flats and slopes, saltbush and sage-brush communities, and (as an introduction) in montane conifer woodlands; 1500-1900 m; Calif., Nev.

Variety glabratum occurs naturally only in Elko County, Nevada. It was inadvertently introduced into the Truckee area of Nevada County, California, probably as a result of truckers stopping to put chains on their tires before crossing the Sierra Nevada. The variety was gathered there by Gordon True (2588a, 2646, 6415, CAS) from 1965 until 1970, but the plants apparently failed to persist.