Herbs 20-60 cm tall, perennial, with a strong taproot. Caudex woody, simple or branched, leafless. Stems solitary or several, erect, basally woody, sparsely to moderately and ± divaricately branched from base, middle, or near apex; branches sulcate to angular, yellowish striate, leafy, lower ones often sterile. Leaves pale yellowish green, glabrous; basal leaves very small, scalelike; middle stem leaves sessile, linear, 3-8 × 0.1-5 cm, rigid in texture, margin entire and revolute, apex acute. Synflorescence ± divaricately corymbiform, with few to several capitula. Capitula with 10-12 (sometimes more) florets. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 8-9 × 2-2.5 mm. Phyllaries glabrous or arachnoid hairy; outer phyllaries linear to lanceolate, longest ca. 1/2 as long as inner ones, apex acute; inner phyllaries with white scarious margin, apex acute. Anther tube ca. 3.5(-4.5) mm. Achene dark brown, fusiform, ca. 4 mm, with 10-16 ribs, apically attenuate. Pappus white, 4-5 mm. Fl. and fr. Feb-Jul.
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