Plants prostrate to ascending or erect, 0.5-2(-2.5) × 0.5-10 dm, grayish-villous. Leaves basal; petiole (0.5-)1-3(-4) cm; blade oblanceolate, (0.5-)1-5(-7) × (0.3-)0.4-0.7(-1) cm, villous. Inflorescences rather dense with secondary branches suppressed, grayish; bracts 2, similar to leaf blades at proximal nodes only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 0.5-7 cm × 2-7 mm, awns 0.5-1.2 mm. Involucres 1, grayish, cylindric, often ventricose basally, 2-2.5(-3) mm, with distinct, white to pink or purple, scarious margins extending nearly full length of awn, corrugate, villous abaxially; teeth spreading, equal, 0.5-1.5 mm; awns uncinate with longer ones 2-3 mm and alternating with shorter (1-1.5 mm) ones. Flowers exserted; perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to rose, cylindric, 2-3.5 mm, pubescent abaxially; tepals connate less than 4 their length, monomorphic, obovate to oblong, acute to truncate and erose apically; stamens 9, slightly exserted; filaments distinct, 2-3 mm, glabrous; anthers cream to rose, ovate, 0.3-0.4 mm. Achenes dark brown, globose-lenticular, 2-2.5 mm.

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora): California.