Plants 50-90(-150) cm; rhizomes deep-seated, main, short, or caudices and slender bracteate rhizomes. Stems 1 or in clones 2-5+, proximally glabrous or short-strigose in arrays. Leaves: basal and proximal cauline tapering to long, winged petioles (to 100 mm), blades elliptic to obovate or ovate, 80-200 (including petioles) × 25-80 mm, bases broadly to narrowly attenuate, margins serrate, apices acute or obtuse, faces glabrous or sparsely scabroso-strigose; mid to distal cauline sessile, blades linear-elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, 20-60 × 4-20 mm, much reduced distally and usually ascending to appressed, bases tapered, margins entire to sparsely shallowly serrate, ciliate, apices acute. Heads 50-140, secund on longer branches, less so on apical branches, in open paniculiform arrays, proximal branches ascending and bracteate, apical portions arching. Peduncles 1-4 mm short-strigose, bracteolate. Involucres campanulate, 4-5(-5.8) mm. Phyllaries in 3-4 series, ascending, lanceolate to oblong, strongly unequal, margins finely fimbriate-ciliate distally, midnerves swollen apically, apices broadly acute to obtuse, faces glabrous. Ray florets 4-6; laminae ± 2 × 1 mm. Disc florets 5-7; corollas 4-5 mm, lobes 1-1.5 mm. Cypselae (greenish turning golden brown, obconic) 2-3 mm (ribs 4-7), short strigose, more so on distal ¹ / 2 ; pappi 3-4 mm. 2n = 18, 36.

Flowering Aug-Sep(-Oct). Dry open woods, edges of woods near roads, railroad embankments; 0-200 m; Ark., La., Tex.