Perennials, 7–75 cm; taprooted (taproots usually not collected, often weakly developed), roots and caudices woody, branches rhizomelike (3–15 cm; fibrous-rooted), relatively slender, leafless, ascending. Stems usually ascending, sometimes prostrate to procumbent or decumbent (var. jacinteus) (often purple, distal branches stiff, spreading-ascending), hispid (hairs spreading-deflexed, 0.1–0.4 mm), mostly eglandular. Leaves cauline; (ascending) blades narrowly oblong-lanceolate to narrowly obovate, 10–40 × 2–5 mm, margins entire, relatively evenly spaced and sized, hispid, mostly eglandular. Heads 1 or 2–5(–10) in loosely corymbiform arrays. Involucres mostly 4–6 × 9–14 mm. Phyllaries in 3–5 series (all but outermost with stramineous margins and distal, greenish-herbaceous, narrowly rhomboid areas), strigoso-to hispido-hirsute or essentially glabrous, densely minutely glandular. Ray florets 20–62; corollas white or pink, often drying blue, 4–7 mm, laminae weakly coiling. Disc corollas 3.5–5.5 mm (throats slightly indurate, not inflated). Cypselae 2–3 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of (15–)20–35(–50) bristles.
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