Perennials, 30-80 cm. Leaves mostly opposite (distal sometimes alternate); petioles 0-3(-5) mm; blades (raised venation reticulate, including secondary and tertiary veins) lanceolate, lance-ovate, or oblanceolate, (2-)3-10 cm, margins coarsely serrate. Heads in ± congested, compact clusters. Peduncles 0 or 1-4 mm, villous-puberulent. Involucres (5.5-)6-8.5 mm. Phyllaries eglandular or very sparsely glandular, sparsely villous-puberulent, apices usually rounded to blunt or obtuse, sometimes acute. Corollas whitish, pale rose, pink, or red, lobes sparsely glandular and hispid-villous. Pappi shorter than corollas, sometimes coroniform. 2n = 34, 42.

Flowering (Aug-)Sep-Oct. Canyon walls, open slopes, oak to ponderosa pine or ponderosa pine-Douglas fir woodlands; 2100-2800 m; Ariz., N.Mex.; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora).