Plants 20–50 cm. Stems (grayish green) densely puberulent. Leaf blades pale grayish green, usually 1-nerved, sometimes 3-nerved proximally, narrowly linear, 10–40 × 1–2 mm, often twisted, canaliculate, margins flat or involute, puberulent, apices acute, faces densely puberulent. Heads in small, compact, cymiform arrays. Involucres turbinate, 5–7 mm. Phyllaries 14–16 in 3–4 series, in weakly aligned vertical ranks, midveins obscure to evident distally, ± keeled, oblong, unequal, margins scarious, entire to ciliolate, subapical green patch sometimes present, apices obtuse or outer barely acute, faces puberulent. Disc florets mostly 5; corollas 5–6 mm, lobes 0.7–1.2 mm.