Perennials, 5-8 cm; taprooted, caudex branches relatively short, thick, retaining old leaf bases. Stems erect (greenish), closely strigose (hairs white, equal), eglan-dular. Leaves basal (persistent, persistent portions relatively short and broad) and cauline (petioles erect, greenish, bases broadened or not, not thickened and whitish-indurate); blades linear, 12-30 × 0.5-0.8 mm, cauline unreduced for ± ¹ / 2 stems, margins entire, eciliate, faces sparsely strigose, eglandular. Heads 1. Involucres 5-6 × (8-)10-14 mm. Phyllaries in 2-3 series (greenish, relatively thinly herbaceous), sparsely hirsuto-pilose along midribs, minutely glandular. Ray florets 21-33; corollas white, with abaxial lilac midstripe, 7-9 mm, laminae coiling. Disc corollas 3-3.8 mm. Cypselae (narrowly oblong) 2.8-3.1 mm, 2(-3)-nerved, margins sparsely ciliate, faces glabrous; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 21-27 bristles.

Flowering May-Jun. Red clay slopes of Summerville Formation and eroded, shale slopes of the Chinle Formation, desert scrub and pinyon-juniper woodland; of conservation concern; 1700-2300 m; Ariz., N.Mex.