Plants herbs, spreading mats, infrequently polygamodioecious, 1–6 (7) dm tall, 2–10 dm across, tomentose to floccose; stems with caudex spreading, the aerial flowering stems erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, arising at nodes of caudex branches and at distal nodes of short, nonflowering aerial branches, (0.5) 1–3.5 (5) dm long, with a distinct whorl of (2) 5–10, linear to oblanceolate, foliaceous bracts about mid-length, 0.5–4 (5) cm long, 0.2–1 (1.5) cm wide, mostly tomentose to floccose; leaves in loose rosettes, the petioles 0.5–3 cm long, usually floccose, the blades usually linear to oblanceolate, (1.5) 2–5 cm long, 0.2–1 (1.5) cm wide, densely white-lanate to tomentose on both surfaces or only abaxially, thinly floccose or glabrous and green adaxially, the margins entire, plane; inflorescences simple or compound-umbellate, rarely reduced and compact, 1–10 cm long and wide, the branches tomentose to floccose, the bracts 3–10 or more, foliaceous at proximal node, oblanceolate to linear, 0.3–1 cm long, 0.2–0.4 cm wide, usually scalelike distally, 1–5 mm long, 0.5–2.5 mm wide; involucres 1 per node, turbinate to campanulate, 3–4.5 mm long, 2.5–5 (6) mm wide, tomentose, rarely glabrous, the teeth 6–12 or more, lobelike, reflexed, 1.5–5 mm long; flowers 4–9 mm long, including a 1.5–3 mm long stipelike base, the perianth white to cream or ochroleucous, glabrous, the tepals monomorphic, spatulate to oblong-ovate, the stamens exserted, 4–8 mm long, the filaments pilose proximally; achenes light to dark brown, (2) 3.5–5 mm long, glabrous except for sparsely pubescent beak.

Flowering May–Sep. Sandy to gravelly flats, slopes, and ridges, mixed grassland and sagebrush communities, oak, aspen, and montane to subalpine conifer woodlands; (300) 600–3100 (3500) m.