Plants 1–5 cm; taproots branched. Stems 1–3(–5), ascending to erect, reddish or purplish, glabrous. Leaves fewer than 10, horizontal; petioles ± narrowly winged; blades linear-oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate (usually runcinate), (1–)1.5–4 × 0.5–1 cm, bases attenuate, margins lobed regularly, deeply, in 3–5(–7) pairs (occasionally dentate, rarely entire or subentire), lobes triangular, straight or often retrorse (also teeth), acute to acuminate or obtuse, teeth 0 or occasionally 1–3 on lobes (or replacing lobes), apices acuminate, faces glabrous or sparsely arachnoid-villous (particularly young). Calyculi (6–)8–10, appressed to spreading, soon reflexed or revolute (thinner than phyllaries), pruinose, sometimes purplish (particularly adaxially), narrowly to broadly ovate bractlets in (1–)2 series, 2.5–3.8 × 1.8–2.6 mm, margins not to ± scarious proximally, apices acuminate to broadly, shortly caudate, hornless, not callous, tips slightly scarious (purple), entire or slightly erose. Involucres dark to blackish green, pruinose, sometimes purplish, narrowly campanulate to cylindro-campanulate or cylindric, (6–)10–12(–14) mm. Phyllaries 8–12 in 2 series, lanceolate (outer) to ovate (inner), 1.5–3.1 mm wide, margins not scarious (outer) or broadly so, narrowing in distal 1/2 (green zone often darker marginally), apices acuminate, hornless, not callous, entire or tips slightly scarious-erose. Florets (ca. 15–)35–50; corollas yellow (sometimes gray-striped abaxially), 7.5–8.8 × 1.3–2 mm. Cypselae pale reddish brown or reddish-tinged or straw-colored to dark gray, bodies oblanceoloid, 2.8–3.5 mm, cones conic, 0.5–0.6 mm, beaks stout, 2.8–4.5, ribs 7 (wide) to 14 narrow (3–5 prominent), faces proximally smooth to tuberculate, muricate in distal 1/2; pappi white, 4.8–5.5 mm. 2n = 16? (as pumilum).
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