Perennials or subshrubs, 10-75 cm (in rock crevices, or in soil); puberulent, villous, or rarely tomentose. Leaves: petioles 12-40 mm; blades usually cordate to subreniform, 8-40(-50) × 8-50(-60) mm, margins irregularly dentate, laciniate, or ± 3-lobed, seldom more divided. Heads borne singly or (2-3) in corymbiform arrays, 8-10 × 7-14 mm. Peduncles 10-70 mm. Involucres campanulate to hemispheric. Phyllaries 28-36, lanceolate to linear, seldom oblanceolate, 5-9 × 0.5-1.6 mm, apices acute to short- or long-attenuate. Ray florets usually 12-18 (sometimes 0 or 1-6 in plants from w Presidio County); corollas yellow, laminae oblong, 4-10 × 2-4 mm. Disc florets 60-100; corollas yellow, tubes 1-1.3 mm, throats tubular, 2.5-3.2 mm, lobes 0.4-0.6 mm. Cypselae linear-elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, (2-)3-4 mm, margins usually prominently calloused (sometimes thin), usually densely ciliate, sometimes short-hairy; pappi 0 or of 1(-2) usually antrorsely, sometimes erectly or retrorsely barbellate, bristles (1-)3-4(-6) mm plus crowns of hyaline, laciniate scales. 2n = 34.

Flowering year around. Igneous or limestone rock or soil; 700-2000 m; Tex.; Mexico (Chihuahua).

Perityle parryi occurs in southern Presidio and Brewster counties. Atypical populations with pappus bristles resembling those of P. vaseyi and/or with ray florets present or absent may be found in western Presidio County.