Erect sparingly branched perennial herbs or subshrubs to 2 m tall; stems mostly yellowish, terete, scarcely striate, hirtellous. Leaves opposite; blades ovate to ovate-lanceolate, to 11 cm long and 5 cm wide, the base rounded to cuneate, rather abruptly decurrent at petiole, the margins subentire to serrate-dentate, the apex somewhat narrowly acuminate, the upper surface sparsely puberulous, the lower surface densely puberulous to tomentellous, with glandular punctations, the veins prominently trinervate from near base; petioles to 2.5 cm long, becoming narrowly winged distally. Inflorescence a lax panicle with laxly cymose branches, the branching divaricate, often appearing regularly dichotomous, the branches densely hirtellous; heads in small clusters of 3-6 with ultimate branches of inflorescence to 3 mm long. Heads 4-5 mm high with 5-6 florets; involucral bracts 15, subimbricate, in 5 ranks and 3 series, 0.5-3.5 mm long, suborbicular to narrowly lanceolate, 2-4 costate, mostly glabrous with slightly puberulous tips, the margins scarious, the acute tips often with minute apicules; corolla white, 2.5-3.5 mm long, the tube distinct, 1.0-1.5 mm long; the limb narrowly campanulate, the lobes about as long as wide, with glands and usually a few short submarginal hairs on outer surface. Achenes 1.5-2.0 mm long with sparse short scattered bristles; carpopodium very prominent on one side; pappus of ca. 30 bristles, mostly 2.5-3.5 mm long. Pollen 18-20 ju in diameter.
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