Shrubs, 20-50 cm. Stems densely branched, glandular-puberulent. Leaves opposite or alternate; petioles 0-3 mm; blades 3-4-nerved from bases (veins prominent), deltate, lanceolate, or ovate, 10-50 × 5-25 mm, bases acute to truncate or cordate, margins usually sharply dentate or dentate-serrate, rarely entire, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or strigose and minutely glandular-puberulent. Heads in open, paniculiform arrays. Peduncles 10-70 mm, hispid to hispidulous and stipitate-glandular. Involucres cylindric to broadly campanulate, 9-15 mm. Phyllaries 24-33 in 3-4 series, green, 3-16-striate, subequal or unequal, margins narrowly scarious (apices acute to acuminate); outer (often bright green, 4-16-striate) lance-linear, linear-ovate, or broadly ovate, inner (pale green, 3-4-striate) linear or narrowly lanceolate (often chartaceous, scabrellous, often glandular). Florets 40-90; corollas pale yellow-green or cream, often purple-tinged, 6-8 mm. Cypselae 3-5.5 mm, scabrellous; pappi of 18-25 smooth or barbellulate bristles. All three varieties of Brickellia atractyloides often intergrade and are not readily distinguished in some cases.
Plant: Shrub 1.7-3.5 dm; stems much-branched, generally glandular-puberulent Leaves: alternate, simple generally short-petioled, veiny, 1.5-3 cm, ± lanceolate to ovate, leathery, clearly toothed, scabrous, generally glandular-puberulent INFLORESCENCE: primary inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower; heads 12-14 mm, solitary; involucre bell-shaped; phyllaries 24-32, overlapping to subequal, outer ± ovate, innermost linear, 4-15-veined, greenish to tan, minutely scabrous, tips generally erect Flowers: 50-65; corollas cylindric, ± white or tinged red; anther bases rounded or slightly cordate, tips ovate; style branches long, club-shaped, tips rounded Fruit: achenes; 4-5 mm; 10-ribbed, generally cylindric, hairy; pappus of many, generally scabrous bristles Misc: Rocks, dry slopes, washes; 600-1400 m.; Apr-May