Plants openly colonial; rhizomes 1-3+ from base of each stem, herbaceous, ± woody with age. Stems 1, often glabrate proximally to ± villous, distally stipitate-glandular. Leaves: proximal scalelike, withering by flowering; blades (16-)50-130 × (4-)10-30(-40) mm, reduced distally, thin, bases auriculate-clasping, margins ± scabrous to (distal) stipitate-glandular. Heads (1-)2-40+. Peduncles sometimes villous, densely stipitate-glandular; bracts 1-2(-3), linear-lanceolate, stipitate-glandular. Phyllaries squarrose, innermost appressed, apices often ± purplish, acuminate. Ray floret laminae 7-11(-15) × 0.8-1.2 mm. Disc floret corollas 5-7 mm, glabrous, lobes 0.5-0.7 mm. Cypselae stramineous, stipitate; pappi surpassing or ± equaling disc corollas. 2n = 18.

Flowering late summer-early fall. Cold, wet soils, often ± calcareous, moist woodlands, often along streams, lake shores, alder thickets, open fields, cedar swamps, in montane and boreal forests; 0-1300+ m; Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Ont., Sask., Yukon, Que.; Alaska, Idaho, Mich., Minn., Mont., N.Dak., Oreg., Wash.