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.

Annual or biennial, 10-60-(75) cm tall, usually branched only at base; stems 1-several, erect or ascending. Basal lvs usually present at flowering, sometimes dead but persistent, apetiolate, spathulate to elliptic-oblong, 20-110-(150) mm long. Lower cauline lvs apetiolate, densely white-tomentose on lower surface, usually glabrous on upper, sometimes sparsely hairy on upper when young, strongly discolorous, plane, oblong to spathulate or oblanceolate, usually obtuse, rarely acute, mucronate, usually flat, sometimes undulate, 20-90 × 4-18 mm; upper cauline lvs smaller, broader based, often ± oblong, sometimes folded. Capitula in dense terminal and axillary clusters; clusters usually forming a dense terminal spike and often scattered below, rarely infl. diffuse and much-branched. Involucral bracts oblong, acute to apiculate, 2.5-3.2 mm long; stereome usually green, rarely reddish purple toward apex; lamina pale brown, often darker toward base; gap and margins usually clear, rarely flushed reddish purple; outer bracts glabrous. Achenes minutely papillate, c. 0.6 mm long.