Shrubs, 50-100 cm. Stems glabrous, resinous. Leaves sessile; blades oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 20-50 × 3-15 mm, coriaceous, bases barely subclasping, margins entire, glabrous. Heads in racemiform or paniculiform arrays. Involucres turbinate, 7-10 × 4-6 mm. Phyllaries erect to recurved, linear-oblong, apices obtuse, faces glabrous, resinous. Ray florets 8-12, fertile; corollas longer than involucres, conspicuous. Disc florets 10-20; corollas 5-7 mm. Cypselae 3-4.5, sparsely strigose. 2n = 10.

Flowering Aug-Sep. Chaparral, coastal scrub, usually with Agave, Artemisia, Simmondsia, Opuntia, and Rhus, open habitats, coastal plains, and hills; 10-200 m; Calif.; Mexico (Baja California).