Herbs, matted, scapose, 0.2-1(-1.3) × 0.5-5 dm, glandular-hairy, greenish. Stems matted, with persistent leaf bases, up to 5 height of plant; caudex stems matted; aerial flowering stems scapelike, weakly erect to erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.1-0.9(-1.1) dm, densely glandular-hairy.  Leaves basal, fasciculate in terminal tufts; petiole 0.4-2 cm, tomentose, sometimes also glandular; blade oblanceolate or broadly elliptic to oval, 0.4-2.5 × (0.15-)0.25-1.6 cm, densely white-tomentose and glandular on both surfaces or densely white-tomentose abaxially and greenish-tomentose adaxially, margins plane.  Inflorescences capitate, 0.6-1.5 cm; branches absent; bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, 1-3.5 mm. Peduncles absent. Involucres 3-6 per cluster, turbinate to campanulate, (2.5-)3-5(-6) × 2.5-4(-6) mm, rigid, glandular and sparsely hairy; teeth 5-8, erect, 0.7-1.4 mm. Flowers 2-4 mm; perianth bright yellow to reddish yellow, occasionally cream, glabrous or glandular; tepals connate proximally, monomorphic, obovate or oblong; stamens exserted, 3-5.5 mm; filaments glabrous or sparsely pilose proximally. Achenes light brown, 1.5-3.5 mm, glabrous.

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora): California and Nevada.