Perennials, 5-15(-20) cm; taprooted, caudices branched, woody. Stems erect to slightly basally ascending, sparsely strigose (hairs white), eglandular. Leaves mostly basal (persistent) or basal and cauline; basal blades linear to linear-oblanceolate, (15-)30-70(-90) × 0.5-3 mm, cauline (on proxi mal ¹ / 3 - ² / 3 of stems) slightly reduced (bases abruptly widened, thickened, white-indurate, sheathing stem) margins entire, faces loosely strigose, eglandular. Heads 1(-3). Involucres 4-7 × 8-13 mm. Phyllaries in 2-3(-4) series, strigose to villous, minutely glandular. Ray florets 25-38; corollas usually bright yellow, sometimes cream to nearly white, 4-8 mm, laminae weakly coiling. Disc corollas 3.5-5.3 mm. Cypselae 2-2.3 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 10-20 bristles. 2n = 18, 27, 36, 45.

Flowering May-Jul(-Aug). Open rocky slopes, grassland, sagebrush, bitterbrush, juniper; 700-2000(-3100) m; B.C.; Calif., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.