Annual or biennial, 10-30 cm tall, usually branched only at base; stems 1-several, erect or ascending. Basal lvs usually present at flowering, sometimes dead but persistent, apetiolate, elliptic-oblong to spathulate, 25-70 mm long. Lower cauline lvs apetiolate, densely white-tomentose on lower surface, usually glabrous but sometimes with a few hairs on upper, discolorous, plane, narrow-spathulate to almost linear, obtuse to acute, shortly mucronate, usually flat, sometimes undulate, 20-35 × 2-8 mm; uppermost cauline lvs smaller, often folded, undulate and linear. Capitula in dense terminal and axillary clusters; clusters forming a dense terminal spike and sometimes scattered below. Involucral bracts oblong, apiculate, 3.5-4.2 mm long; stereome green or reddish purple; lamina pale brown, usually with darker markings toward base; gap and margins clear; outer bracts glabrous. Achenes minutely papillate, c. 0.6 mm long.