Subshrubs 30-60 cm; taproots stout, bases woody, branched. Stems strictly erect, mostly simple, glabrous or glabrate to hirtellous. Leaves basal (usually not persistent) and cauline; alternate ; sessile; blades oblanceolate, gradually reduced distally, margins entire, 1-nerved (net-nerved), sparsely scabroso-hispidulous, eglandular or obscurely gland-dotted, not resinous. Heads radiate, in racemiform or loosely spiciform to loosely corymbiform arrays. Involucres cylindro-turbinate, 8-11 × 5-6 mm . Phyllaries 35-40 in 5-6 series, 1-nerved (not evident; convex, not keeled or only slightly so on distal 1 / 2 ) , lanceolate, unequal, proximal 2 / 3 white-indurate, margins herbaceous, convex, midnerves not evident (apices green), glabrous. Receptacles flat, smooth, epaleate. Ray florets 5-8, pistillate, fertile; corollas yellow (weakly if at all coiling). Disc florets 15-25, bisexual, fertile; corollas yellow, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes 5, erect, deltate; style-branch appendages linear-lanceolate (5-6 times longer than stigmatic lines, papillate distally). Cypselae narrowly oblong, slightly compressed, 8-nerved, moderately strigose; pappi persistent, of 40-50, tan, barbellate, attenuate bristles in 1 series.
Possibly, Columbiadoria is a member of the Petradoria group (Solidagininae), although it lacks the characteristic linear-lanceolate, parallel-nerveed leaves of those species (G. L. Nesom 1991f).
