Plants shrubs, spreading to rounded, sparsely to densely branched, 1–10 dm tall, 2–10 (12) dm across; leaf blades linear to linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate to elliptic or oblong, 0.5–1.2 (1.5) cm long, 0.1–0.6 cm wide, tomentose or glabrous abaxially; inflorescences (1) 3–20 cm long, (1) 3–25 cm wide, the branches diffuse with racemosely arranged involucres at tips, slender to stout, round, smooth, glabrous, scabrellous, or infrequently papillate-scabrous, infrequently somewhat spinose; involucres narrowly turbinate to campanulate, 0.9–1.8 mm long, 0.7–1.3 mm wide; flowers 1.5–4 mm long, the perianth white to yellowish-white or reddish, the tepals glabrous.

Involucres narrowly turbinate to campanulate, 0.9–1.8 mm long, 0.7–1.3 mm wide.

Inflorescences (1) 3–20 cm long, (1) 3–25 cm wide, the branches diffuse with racemosely arranged involucres at tips, slender to stout, round, smooth, glabrous, scabrellous, or infrequently papillate-scabrous, infrequently somewhat spinose.

Flowering Apr-Nov. Limestone (rarely volcanic) cliffs, outcrops, and washes, or on gypsophilous outcrops, saltbush, blackbrush, sagebrush, and mountain mahogany communities, pinyon-juniper and montane conifer woodlands; 800–2800 m; Mohave Desert from Inyo Co. south through San Bernardino Co. to northern Riverside Co., California, then east across Nevada in Esmeralda, Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine cos., into Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai cos., Arizona; in the Sonoran Desert in Yavapai Co., and disjunct in Graham and Gila cos. Arizona.

The branches are diffuse with racemosely arranged involucres at tips, slender to stout, round, smooth, glabrous, scabrellous, or infrequently papillate-scabrous, infrequently somewhat spinose.