Herbs, matted, polygamodioecious, (0.1-)0.3-1 × 1-5(-12) dm. Stems: caudex spreading; aerial flowering stems scapelike, ascending to weakly erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, arising at nodes of caudex branches and at distal nodes of short, nonflowering aerial branches, (0.1-)0.3-0.8(-1) dm, mostly floccose or glabrous, without a whorl of bracts. Leaves in compact basal rosettes; petiole 0.05-0.4(-0.7) cm, usually tomentose; blade elliptic to obovate or nearly oval, 0.2-1(-1.5) × 0.15-0.4(-0.5) cm, grayish-to whitish-tomentose on both surfaces or less so and greenish adaxially, margins entire, plane. Inflorescences capitate, 0.5-2 cm wide; branches absent; bracts absent immediately below involucre. Involucres 1 per node, campanulate, 2-3.5 × 2-4 mm; teeth 6-9, lobelike, strongly reflexed, 2-3.5 mm. Flowers 2.5-10 mm, including 0.5-1 mm stipelike base; perianth yellow to reddish or rose, densely pilose to villous abaxially; stamens exserted, 3-4 mm; filaments pilose proximally; staminate flowers shorter, 2.5-4 mm, tepals monomorphic, oblong-oblanceolate; pistillate flowers 2.5-10 mm, tepals slightly dimorphic. Achenes light brown to brown, (3.5-)4-5 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on beak.
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