Plants silvery white, 3-9 cm, tightly sericeous. Stems mostly 1-5; branches equal to unequal, distal strictly ascending to erect. Leaves: largest 7-11 × 2-3 mm; capitular leaves erect, involucral, proximally carinate, becoming indurate. Heads borne singly, or 2-3 in largest glomerules. Receptacles narrowly conic, 0.9-1.1 mm, heights mostly 2-2.4 times diams. Pistillate paleae: longest 2.5-3.2 mm.

Flowering and fruiting mid Apr-mid Jun. Open, dry, shallow rocky or gravelly soils, usually over limestone or gypsum, sometimes with extra moisture (dry drainages, disturbed places); 500-1500 m; N.Mex., Okla., Tex.

Variety barnebyi is not particularly weedy. It occurs in southwestern Oklahoma, southeastern New Mexico, and western Texas (nearly to Mexico), largely allopatric with var. prolifera.