Stems 30-80 cm, widely branched, tomentose or glabrous. Leaves uniformly whitish green; blades lance-linear (and entire), or obovate to elliptic (with antrorse teeth or lobes to ¹/3 blade lengths, usually 1-2 cm, margins revolute), faces ± tomentose. Heads in open, paniculiform arrays (9-)15-40 × (4-)8-30 cm. Involucres 1-2 × 2-3 mm. Florets: pistillate 8-11; bisexual 8-13; corollas 1-1.5 mm.

Flowering early summer-fall. Desert drainages, sandy soils; 1500-2000 m; Ariz., Calif., Colo., Nev., N.Mex., Tex., Utah; Mexico.