Annuals, 4-15 cm; taprooted. Stems erect, densely and loosely gray-white tomentose-arachnose. Leaves basal and cauline, basal mostly withering before flowering, blades oblanceolate, 1-3 cm × 2-6 mm (usually folded along midveins, bases subclasping, not auriculate; nearly unreduced among proximal heads, none longer than glomerules), faces concolor, tomentose-arachnose. Heads in continuous cylindric arrays 2-3(-4) cm × 10-12 mm (pressed). Involucres campanulate, 3.5-4 mm, bases sparsely tomentose. Phyllaries in 4-5 series, outer narrowly ovate-triangular, lengths ca. ¹/3 inner, apices acute to acute-acuminate, inner oblong, laminae tan to brownish (not purple), apices (brownish) rounded-apiculate. Florets: bisexual 2-4; all corollas yellowish. Cypselae: not seen.

Flowering Mar-May. Hillsides, riparian woodlands, disturbed sites, sandy soils; 30-500 m; introduced; Calif.; South America.