Herbs 6-25 cm tall, annual. Stem erect, moderately branched often already from base or more rarely unbranched, arachnoid hairy, glabrescent, leafy. Leaves narrowly spatulate, narrowly lanceolate, broadly lanceolate, or rarely ovate-lanceolate, 1-4(-5) × 0.2-1(-2) cm, ± arachnoid hairy, base attenuate and finally semiamplexicaul, margin flat or somewhat undulate and densely microdentate, apex acute to acuminate or more rarely obtuse. Synflorescence diffuse, paniculiform to corymbiform, with several capitula or more rarely capitulum solitary. Involucre ovoid-cylindric to globose, 1.1-1.4 × 0.6-0.8 cm at anthesis, 1.5-1.8 × ca. 1.5 cm in fruit (outer phyllaries not counted). Outer phyllaries linear-lanceolate, usually 2-3.5 cm, herbaceous, similar to upper stem leaves, distinctly longer than inner phyllaries; inner phyllaries lanceolate, leathery, margin somewhat scarious, apex obtuse to acute. Florets pale yellow [or purplish], to 1.3 × as long as involucre. Achene blackish, ± concolorous, cylindric, 4-5 mm, with hollow cylindric 1-1.5 mm carpophore, usually with 5 smooth or somewhat spinulose main ribs and ca. 10 secondary ribs. Pappus gray, usually 8-9 mm. Fl. and fr. May-Jun. 2n = 12.
Home