Plants 50–200 cm. Stems erect to spreading, green when young, often black-banded or splotched (from fungal infections), fastigiately branched, glabrous, gland-dotted, resinous. Leaves mostly ascending; blades filiform (adaxially sulcate), 10–35 × 0.5–1.5 mm, midnerves obscure, apices apiculate, faces glabrous, gland-dotted (in circular, deep pits), resinous; axillary fascicles usually absent. Heads in paniculiform arrays (5–50 mm wide). Peduncles 2–12 mm (bracts 0–10, leaflike). Involucres subcylindric, 5.5–9 × 3.5–7 mm. Phyllaries 13–20 in 3–5 series, tan, lanceolate to elliptic, 1–5 × 0.5–1.7 mm, unequal, mostly chartaceous, membranous, midnerves not or slightly raised, faint on distal 1 / 2 , (margins entire, sometimes ciliate distally) apices erect, acute to rounded, apiculate, abaxial faces glabrous, ± resinous. Ray florets 0. Disc florets 5–8; corollas 5–7 mm. Cypselae tan to brown, narrowly elliptic to oblanceoloid, 3.5–4.5 mm (ribs ca. 5), sericeous; pappi off-white to brown, 5.5–6.5 mm. 2n = 18.