Perennials, 8-24 cm (polycarpic, often with sparingly branched, woody caudices). Stems 1-3(-10), green throughout to purple-red-tinted proximally or distally to throughout, unbranched distally, ± hairy. Leaves: blades simple or lobed (lobes 3-7), ± hairy, gland-dotted (basal leaf bases sparsely, if at all, long-villous-woolly); mid leaves usually simple, sometimes lobed (lobes 3, terminal lobes 1.5-3.5 mm wide). Heads 1-3(-10) per plant, borne singly. Peduncles 2-5 cm, ± hairy, tomentose distally near involucres. Involucres hemispheric to subglobose, 13-16 × 19-23 mm. Phyllaries in 2-3 series, subequal; outer 10-20, basally connate ¹/5-¹/3 their lengths, lanceolate, 10-13.5 mm, apices rounded to acute; inner 12-20+, lanceolate to elliptic to obovate to oblanceolate, 6-10 mm, apices acuminate. Ray florets 14-23; corollas yellow, 14-23 × 3.5-7.5 mm. Disc florets 150-250+; corollas 4.1-5.2 mm. Cypselae obpyramidal to narrowly obpyramidal, 2.8-3.1 mm; pappi of 5-6 lanceolate-aristate scales (2.7-)4.1-4.3 mm. 2n = 30.

Flowering Jul-Sep. Meadows, often above timberline; 2800-4100 m; Ariz., Colo., N.Mex.