Plants 2–10(–20) cm. Stems (1–)3–10, spreading to sometimes ascending; branches usually leafless between proximal forks, becoming purplish to black, glabrescent. Leaves linear to narrowly oblanceolate, largest 15–20(–25) × 1–1.5 mm, pliant; longest capitular leaves 2–5 times head heights, acute. Heads in glomerules of 4–10 in strictly dichasiiform arrays, ± pyramidal, largest ± 4 × 3 mm. Phyllaries 0 or vestigial. Receptacles obovoid, 0.4–0.9 mm, heights 1–1.6 times diams. Pistillate paleae (except innermost) 9–13(–17) in 2–3 series, vertically ranked, loosely saccate, incurved 20–60°, somewhat gibbous, not galeate, longest 2.2–2.7 mm, distal 15–25% of lengths glabrous abaxially; bodies cartilaginous, obcompressed; wings prominent. Innermost paleae ± 5, spreading in 1 series, bisexual and (usually) pistillate. Pistillate florets: outer 9–13(–17) epappose, inner (0–)1–2 pappose. Bisexual florets 4–10; corollas 1.2–1.7 mm, lobes mostly 5, brownish to yellowish. Cypselae: outer incurved, proximally ascending, distally erect, obcompressed, mostly 0.9–1 mm; inner densely muriculate; pappi mostly of 17–23 bristles falling in complete or partial rings, 1.3–2 mm. 2n = 28.
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