Annual or short-lived perennial herb, c. 0.5-1 m tall. Stems sparsely hairy, becoming glabrous, sometimes sparsely glandular, ribbed, much-branched above and below, with the decurrent lvs forming conspicuous wings. Lower and mid cauline lvs sparsely hairy and densely glandular on both surfaces, apetiolate but narrowed to base in lowermost lvs, elliptic to lanceolate, entire, or shallowly sinuate, 3-13 × 0.5-2.5 cm; uppermost lvs becoming smaller, narrower, and more lanceolate or narrow-triangular. Capitula 10-20 mm diam., long-pedunculate in loose cymes. Outer involucral bracts densely hairy, foliaceous, linear or linear-lanceolate, 4-8 mm long; inner bracts ± glabrous, membranous, c. 2 mm long. Ligules of ray florets inconspicuous, yellow, 3-6 mm long, soon reflexed; disc florets numerous, yellow or tinged brown. Achenes brown, 8-10-ribbed and somewhat angled, glandular, 1.5-2 mm long; ribs with antrorse hairs; pappus scales 5-6, ovate-triangular, aristate and finely laciniate, c. 1 mm long.
Moist meadows, marshes, slough banks etc, below 600 metres in California. Along streams, ditches, seepage areas, around ponds and lakes, forests, woodlands, sea level to 1200 metres.
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