Plants (6-)15-35 cm. Stolons 3-8(-12) cm (leaves along stolons almost equal to those of rosettes at ends). Basal leaves 1-nerved (sometimes obscurely 3-nerved), spatulate to narrowly or broadly obovate (petiolate), 14-48 × 2.5-20 mm, tips mucronate, faces abaxially tomentose, adaxially gray-pubescent to floccose-glabrescent. Cauline leaves linear, 8-35 mm, distal flagged. Heads 4-8(-13) in corymbiform arrays. Involucres: staminate (very uncommon) 6 mm; pistillate 6-9 mm. Phyllaries distally white or cream Corollas: staminate 3.5 mm; pistillate 3.5-6 mm. Cypselae 0.9-1.5 mm, minutely papillate; pappi: staminate 4 mm; pistillate 5.5-7 mm. 2n = 56, 84 (under A. neodioica).

Flowering mid spring-early summer. Pastures, dry fields, openings in woodlands and forests, and rock barrens and dry lake shores; 0-2200 m; St. Pierre and Miquelon; Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.W.T., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask.; Colo., Conn., Del., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.Dak., Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.

Subspecies neodioica is most common in the eastern half of the range of Antennaria howellii; it is also found sporadically as far west as Washington and British Columbia. Antennaria virginica is likely the primary sexual progenitor of apomicts in subsp. neodioica (R. J. Bayer 1985).

In dry clay or sandy soil in open places in woodland and pastures and along roadsides. This species is more northern than the preceding one [Antennaria neglecta] and is restricted mostly to the northern part of the state. I have not seen any staminate plants.