Plants to 30 cm. Leaves 10-30 mm, mostly 1-pinnately lobed (lobes 0.5-1.5 mm wide), distal sometimes entire. Peduncles 20-50 mm. Phyllaries ± 8, connate to ¹/2 their lengths, elliptic to lanceolate (each pair with semicircular crest proximal to sinus, hard at maturity, ± enclosing cypselae). Ray florets ± 8. Disc florets 8-25+; tubes cylindric, abruptly dilated (throats broadly funnelform), lobes glabrous. Cypselae 2-2.5 mm. 2n = 6 + 0-2I, 8 + 0-1I or 0-1B, 10 + 0-1I.

Flowering Mar-Jun. Grasslands or sandy or rocky openings in chaparral, foothill woodlands, yellow pine forests; 100-1600 m; Calif.