Plants 50–120 cm; rhizomes short, caudexlike. Stems 1–5, sparsely to moderately strigoso-puberulent. Leaves: basal petioles 3–5 cm, blades oblanceolate or spatulate to ovate or rotund, 2–4 cm (excluding petioles); cauline (numerous) subsessile or sessile, blades elliptic or lance-elliptic to ovate, mid mostly 25–50(–65) × 10–25 mm, distal much reduced; branch leaf petioles 1 mm, blades ovate, 5–15 (excluding petioles) × 2–10 mm. Heads 75–200 in open paniculiform arrays, branches divaricate, ascending to recurved, weakly to strongly secund, to 50 cm, secondary branches less than 3 cm. Peduncles linear, 1–3 mm, bracteate. Involucres narrowly campanulate, 3–5 mm. Phyllaries in 3–4 series, lanceolate, strongly unequal, margins ciliate, apices acute, glabrous. Ray florets 0(–2). Disc florets 4–8; corollas 3 mm, lobes 1 mm. Cypselae 2.5–3 mm, moderately short-strigose; pappi 2 mm. 2n = 18.