Perennials, 3-15 cm; taprooted, caudices branched. Stems erect (bracteate), evenly hispidulous to hirsute, usually minutely glandular. Leaves mostly basal (in tufts, persistent) (petioles prominently ciliate, hairs spreading, thick-based); blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, 40-70(-90) × 1-3 mm, cauline reduced to bracts (bases relatively thin, not sheathing), margins entire, coarsely ciliate, faces hispidulous to loosely strigose. Heads 1. Involucres (3.5-)4.5-7.5 × 9-17 mm. Phyllaries in 2-3 series, sparsely hispid, minutely glandular. Ray (pistillate) florets 20-60; corollas tubular, lacking laminae, or laminae yellow (sometimes fading on drying and appearing whitish or creamy), 2-10 mm, not coiling or reflexing. Disc corollas 4-4.5 mm (throats tubular). Cypselae 2-2.5 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose (carpopodia yellowish); pappi: outer of inconspicuous setae, inner of 15-25 bristles.

Intermediates between var. austiniae and var. chrysopsidis are formed in Oregon and Idaho, where their ranges overlap.