Plants herbs, matted, scapose, 0.5–1 dm tall, 0.5–2 dm across; stems matted, with persistent leaf bases, up to 1/5 height of plant, the caudex stems matted, the aerial flowering stems scapelike, erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, (0.2) 0.3–1 (1.2) dm long, glandular-hairy; leaves basal, fasciculate in terminal tufts, the petioles (0.5) 0.8–1.7 (2) cm long, thinly tomentose, glandular, the blades oblanceolate to elliptic, (0.3) 1–1.5 (2) cm long, (0.2) 0.3–0.6 cm wide, densely white-tomentose and glandular abaxially, less so and greenish adaxially, the margins plane; inflorescences capitate, 1–2 cm long, the branches absent, the bracts 3–5, lanceolate, scalelike, 1.5–3 mm long; peduncles absent; involucres 5–7 per cluster, turbinate to campanulate, 2–4 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, membranous, sparsely glandular to glandular-puberulent or pubescent, the teeth 5, erect to spreading, 1–1.5 mm long; flowers 2–3 mm long, the perianth white to rose, glandular, the hypanthium 4 length of perianth, the tepals monomorphic, obovate, the stamens exserted, 2–3.5 (4) mm long, the filaments pilose proximally; achenes light brown, 2–2.3 (2.5) mm long, glabrous.

Flowering Jul-Sep. Granitic, sandstone or limestone sandy to gravelly outcrops, slopes, and ridge tops, high-elevation sagebrush communities, subalpine and alpine conifer woodlands; 2900–3900 m; White Mountains and eastern edge of Sierra Nevada in Inyo, Mono and Tulare cos., California, and Esmeralda Co., Nevada.

These pictures were taken, on July 10 th 2014, in the White Mountains of Mono County, California.

These pictures were taken, on July 10 th 2014, in the White Mountains of Mono County, California.