Herbs, forming pulvinate to cespitose maps, usually scapose, 0.2-3 × 0.5-5 dm, floccose to tomentose or lanate. Stems decumbent to spreading, with persistent leaf bases, up to 5 height of plant; caudex stems matted to spreading; aerial flowering stems scapelike, spreading to erect, infrequently decumbent to ascending, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.03-4 dm, floccose to tomentose or lanate or nearly glabrous. Leaves basal, 1 per node; petiole not twisted or curled, 0.1-10 cm, mostly tomentose; blade oblanceolate to elliptic or spatulate to rounded, 0.2-6 × (0.1-)0.2-1.5 cm, lanate to tomentose or floccose, sometimes less so adaxially, margins plane, occasionally brownish. Inflorescences capitate or rarely umbellate, 0.7-5(-7) × 1.5-5 cm; bracts 3, scalelike, linear to triangular, 0.8-4 mm. Peduncles absent. Involucres 1 per node or (2-)3-15 per cluster, turbinate to turbinate-campanulate, (2-)3.5-5(-8) × 2-4 mm, tomentose to floccose; teeth 5, erect, 0.1-1 mm. Flowers (2.5-)3-6(-7) mm; perianth yellow or white to cream, rose, red, or purple, glabrous; tepals connate proximally, dimorphic, those of outer whorl usually oval to orbiculate, 2-4 × 2-4 mm, those of inner whorl oblanceolate to elliptic, 3-7 × 0.8-1.5 mm; stamens mostly included, 1-3 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes light brown to brown, 2-3 mm, glabrous.
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