Plants 10-40 cm. Stems reddish, tomentose, lanate, or glabrate. Leaves: basal blades narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 50-100 × 5-15 mm, margins usually remotely denticulate, rarely laciniate or entire; faces tomentose to glabrate or glabrous. Heads usually borne singly, terminal, rarely 1-2 additional proximally. Involucres 6-9 × 13-18 mm. Phyllaries appressed, subequal, outer sometimes shorter. 2n = 12.

Flowering May-Sep. Montane pine forests, alkaline meadows, around hot springs; 1400-2900 m; Alta., N.W.T., Sask.; Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.

Variety uniflora is the more widespread and variable of the two varieties.