Annuals, 3-8 cm; taprooted. Stems (single or multiple) ascending from bases, moderately hirsuto-hirtellous (hairs spreading-ascending, mostly on ribs, bases thickened), minutely glandular. Leaves mostly cauline; blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, 10-30 × 0.5-1.5 mm (proximal rarely 4 mm wide), margins entire or proximalmost with 1-2 pairs of teeth, faces loosely ascending-strigose, minutely glandular. Heads 20-50+ in loosely corymbiform arrays (buds erect). Involucres 3-3.5 × 4-6 mm. Phyllaries in 3-4 series, sparsely hirsuto-strigose, minutely glandular. Ray florets (60-)85-130(-195); corollas white, drying purple, less often pink to bluish, 3.8-5 mm, laminae downward curving-reflexing. Disc corollas 1.8-2.3 mm (throats indurate and inflated). Cypselae 0.6-0.7 mm, 2-nerved (nerves orange), faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer 0 or scales or setae, inner of 9-14 bristles.

Flowering Jul-Oct. Grasslands with scattered juniper, oak, or oak-pine; of conservation concern; 1300-2100 m; Ariz.; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora).

Erigeron sceptrifer is similar in habit to E. divergens; it has stem hairs only along the ribs, erect (versus nodding) buds, pappi of more bristles, without a conspicuous outer series, reflexing ray laminae, and orange cypselar nerves.