Plants subshrubs, spreading to somewhat sprawling, not scapose, (1.5) 2–4 dm tall, 2–5 dm across, glabrous, grayish; stems decumbent to spreading, without persistent leaf bases, up to 1⁄4 height of plant, the caudex stems absent or slightly spreading in moving sand, the aerial flowering stems spreading, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.5–1.5 dm long, glabrous; leaves basal or sheathing up proximal 1⁄4 of flowering stems, 1 per node, the petioles 0.1–0.5 (1) cm long, tomentose to floccose, the blades broadly elliptic, 1–2 (2.5) cm long, 0.8–1.7 cm wide, densely white-tomentose abaxially, less so to subglabrous and green adaxially, the margins plane; inflorescences cymose, open, 5–20 cm long and wide, the branches dichotomous, glabrous, the bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, 1–2.5 mm long; peduncles absent or erect, restricted to proximal nodes, (0.2) 0.5–1 (1.5) cm long, glabrous; involucres 1 per node, turbinate, (2.5) 3–3.5 mm long, 2–2.5 mm wide, glabrous, the teeth 5, erect, 0.4–0.8 mm long; flowers 2–3 mm long, the perianth white, glabrous, the hypanthium 1⁄4 length of perianth, essentially monomorphic, narrowly obovate, the stamens slightly exserted, 2.5–3.5 mm long, the filaments puberulent proximally; achenes light brown, 3–3.5 mm long, glabrous except for distinctly papillate beaks.

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