Perennials, 10-30 cm; taprooted, caudices simple or with relatively short, thick branches. Stems erect, hirsuto-villous to loosely strigose (hairs relatively translucent and vitreous, unequal in lengths, 0.1-1 mm), sometimes sparsely minutely glandular. Leaves mostly basal (persistent; petioles prominently ciliate, hairs spreading, thick-based), eglandular; blades linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 20-100 × 1-3.5 mm, abruptly reduced distally, margins entire, faces strigose to strigoso-hirsute, eglandular. Heads 1. Involucres 5-8 × 10-15 mm. Phyllaries in 2-3 series, loosely hirsute to hirsuto-villous, sometimes sparsely minutely glandular. Ray florets 50-80; corollas usually white, 8-14 mm, laminae (1.2-1.8 mm wide) coiling. Disc corollas 3.1-4 mm (glabrate, throats not indurate or inflated). Cypselae (obovoid) 2.1-2.5 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely to moderately strigoso-villous; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 14-20 bristles.

Flowering (Apr-)May-Jul. Bare, rocky ridges and slopes, basalt outcrops, sparsely vegetated woodland openings or edges, commonly with grasses; of conservation concern; 1200-1800 m; Idaho, Oreg.