Biennials (sometimes persisting), 15-25+ cm. Stems decumbent to erect; internodes 5-20+ mm, strigose. Leaves basal and cauline, blades oblanceolate to lance-linear, 20-45(-60+) × 2-4(-6+) mm, not fleshy, faces ± strigose. Heads at tips of stems (usually surpassed by leaves). Involucres ± campanulate to hemispheric, 12-15(-20+) mm diam. Phyllaries 40-44 in 4-5+ series, the longer ± lanceolate, 5-9+ mm (l/w = 2.5-5), apices acute to attenuate (soft, not apiculate), abaxial faces strigose. Ray florets 25-40+; corollas white or purplish adaxially, laminae 9-18 mm, abaxially usually glabrous, sometimes glandular-puberulent. Disc florets 80-120+; corollas 3.5-5 mm. Cypselae 3.5-4 mm, faces hairy, hair tips glochidiform; pappi persistent; on ray cypselae ± 20 lanceolate to subulate scales 0.5-0.8(-2+) mm; on disc cypselae 16-24 subulate to setiform scales 5 mm. 2n = 18.

Flowering May-Jun. Cherts, limestone slopes; 1200 m; Okla., Tex.