Dioecious. Plants (3–)10–15 cm. Stolons none. Basal leaves 1-nerved, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 15–50 × 1–2(–4) mm, tips acute, not flagged, faces ± gray tomentose. Cauline leaves (gradually reduced distally) narrowly linear, 5–60 mm, distalmost flagged. Heads 2–8(–10) in subcapitate arrays. Involucres: staminate 4–5 mm; pistillate 4–6.5 mm. Phyllaries distally light brown, dingy brown, or olivaceous (apices acute-acuminate). Corollas: staminate 2.5–3.5 mm; pistillate 2.5–4 mm. Cypselae 1–1.8 mm, glandular-puberulent; pappi: staminate 3–4.5 mm (bristles barbellate at tips); pistillate 3–4.5 mm. 2n = 56.
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