Plants herbs, loosely to densely matted, not scapose, (1) 2–4 dm tall, 0.5–2 dm across, densely white- or grayish-lanate to tomentose or floccose; stems spreading, often with persistent leaf bases, up to 1⁄4 height of plant, the caudex stems matted, decumbent to spreading, the aerial flowering stems spreading to erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.5–1.5 dm long, lanate to tomentose or floccose; leaves basal or sheathing up stems 4 cm, 1 per node or fasciculate at tips of caudex branches, the proximal leaves with petioles 1–3 (4) cm long, tomentose and leaf blade obovate to rounded, 1–2 (2.5) cm long, 1–2 cm wide, lanate to tomentose, the distal leaves sessile and leaf blade elliptic to rounded, 0.3–1 cm long and wide, lanate to tomentose; inflorescences cymose, 10–25 cm long, 5–12 cm wide, the branches dichotomous, lanate to tomentose or floccose, the bracts 3–4, scalelike, triangular, 1.5–7 mm long; peduncles absent; involucres 1 per node, turbinate, 3–4 mm long, 2– 3 mm wide, tomentose to floccose, the teeth 5–6, erect, 0.8–1.5 mm long; flowers (3) 5–7 mm long, including an elongate, sharply triangular, slightly winged, stipelike base, the perianth white to rose or yellowish, glabrous, the hypanthium only at base of perianth, the tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl oblanceolate to lanceolate, 3–5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, those of inner whorl obovate, 4–6 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, the stamens included to slightly exserted, 2.5–5 mm long, the filaments pilose proximally; achenes trigonous, nearly winged, 3.5–4 mm long, glabrous. 2n = 40.