Shrubs, 80-120 cm. Stems single, greenish when young, becoming whitish to gray, fastigiately branched distal to middle (angled from leaf bases), glabrous. Leaves ascending to appressed; blades linear or linear-oblong, 10-40 × 1-2.5 mm, planar or adaxially concave, margins eciliate, midveins evident, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous. Heads in cymiform to corymbiform arrays 0.5-14 cm wide, sometimes borne singly. Involucres obconic to cylindric, 10-12 × 4-6 mm. Phyllaries 24-30 in 4-5 series, in 5 vertical ranks, mostly tan, green subapical patch shiny, midnerves evident in distal ¹ / 2 , keeled, ovate to oblong or lanceolate, 1.3-9 × 0.7-2 mm, unequal, mostly chartaceous, margins narrowly scarious, entire apices acute to attenuate or acuminate, faces glabrous. Receptacles with 0-2 scales ca. 0.5 mm. Ray florets 0. Disc florets 5; corollas 9-12 mm, glabrous, lobes 1-1.5 mm; style branches 4.5-6 mm, appendages attenuate, 1.7-2.5 mm. Cypselae brownish, turbinate, sharply 4-angled, 4.5-6.3 mm, 5-8 ribbed, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy; pappi yellowish tan (± flattened, barbellate), 9-11 mm. 2n = 18. Flowering late summer-fall. Dry hills and plains, often sandy sites; 1500-2000 m; N.Mex., Tex.; Mexico (Chihuahua).