Herbs, erect to spreading, 3-8(-10) × 0.5-1.5 dm, glabrous and glaucous, rarely tomentose, greenish. Stems spreading to erect, without persistent leaf bases, up to 1/8 height of plant; caudex stems absent; aerial flowering stems erect to spreading, slender to stout, solid or hollow, often fistulose, 1-2.5(-3) dm, glabrous, rarely tomentose. Leaves basal, 1 per node; petiole 3-6(-10) cm, tomentose to floccose; blade elliptic or oblong-ovate to ovate, 2-4.5(-6) × 1.5-2.5(-5) cm, lanate to densely tomentose abaxially, thinly floccose or glabrous and green adaxially, margins plane. Inflorescences narrowly virgate or racemose with involucres racemosely disposed throughout or at tips, 20-50(-60) × 5-25 cm, glabrous, rarely tomentose; branches dichotomous, upper secondaries suppressed and bearing (8-)10-15(-20) racemosely arranged involucres; bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, and 2-7 mm, or leaflike, elliptic, and 10-30 × 4-15 mm. Peduncles absent. Involucres 1 per node, turbinate to turbinate-campanulate, 1.5-3 × 1.5-2.5 mm, tomentose; teeth 5, erect, 0.2-0.4 mm. Flowers 2-6(-7) mm; perianth white to yellow or bright red, glabrous; tepals connate proximal 1/ 4 their length, monomorphic, oblong; stamens exserted, 2-5 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes light brown, (3-)4-5(-6) mm, glabrous.
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