Biennials, 40-100 cm; taprooted. Stems usually 1 (from rosette), erect (ascending if more than 1), simple, proximally woolly, mid to distally stipitate-glandular (tips erect to ascending before heads form). Leaves sessile; basal blades oblanceolate to obovate, 40-100 × 10-20 mm, bases tapering, margins apically dentate-serrate, faces densely woolly, often matted; cauline blades linear, linear-elliptic, elliptic to linear-lanceolate, or lanceolate, reduced distally, apices usually acute, rarely obtuse, faces glabrate to sparsely strigillose (hairs 0.3-0.6 mm), densely short-stipitate-glandular (larger glandular hairs 0.01-0.3 mm), proximal and mid cauline rarely woolly. Heads 10-100 in compact to lax, corymbiform arrays (less than ¹ / 3 plant height). Peduncles 2-10 cm, stipitate-glandular (glands 0.05-0.2 mm); bracteoles 1-3, oblong to linear distally, faces short-stipitate-glandular. Involucres (green in bud) campanulate, 6-9 mm. Phyllaries in 4-5 series, erect, linear-lanceolate, strongly unequal, 0.7-1.1 mm wide, apices usually acute, sometimes acuminate, rarely aristate, faces densely short-stipitate-glandular. Ray florets 19-32; laminae 6-8 × 1.5-2.5 mm. Disc florets 35-50; corollas 5-7 mm, lobes 0.5-1 mm. Cypselae 2-3 mm, without ridges, shallowly ribbed, faces sparsely to moderately long-strigose; pappi in 3 series, outer of linear scales 0.5-1 mm, inner of 25-35 bristles 5-7 mm, primary weakly to moderately clavate. 2n = 10.

Flowering Aug-Nov (rarely spring). Open sandy grounds, white sand hills, pine and oak scrubs, open flatwoods, fields, roadsides; 0-50 m; Fla.

Chrysopsis scabrella is found on the peninsula and the extreme eastern panhandle.