Perennials, 30-130 cm. Stems 1-3(-10), unbranched or sparingly branched distally, weakly to moderately winged, glabrous proximally, glabrous or sparsely hairy distally. Leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy; basal blades oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, entire; proximal and mid blades lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, entire; distal blades linear to lanceolate, entire. Heads 1-20 per plant, borne singly or in paniculiform arrays. Peduncles (6-)10-30 cm, sparsely to moderately hairy. Involucres hemispheric to globoid, 12-20 × (14-)17-22(-25) mm. Phyllaries (connate proximally) moderately to densely hairy. Ray florets 14-20, pistillate, fertile; corollas yellow, 13-25 × 5-10(-12) mm. Disc florets 250-500(-800+); corollas yellow proximally, yellow to brown to purple distally, 3-4.4(-4.8) mm, lobes 5. Cypselae 1.8-2.4 mm, moderately hairy; pappi of 6-8 entire, aristate scales 1.3-2.2(-2.7) mm. 2n = 32.

Flowering (May-)Jul-Aug(-Oct). Bogs and swamps, around ponds and lakes, along streams, in moist meadows; 60-3400 m; Calif., Oreg.