Plants 10-100 cm. Stems spreading to ascending or erect, green when young, highly branched, glabrous, gland-dotted (sometimes in pits), resinous. Leaves ascending-spreading; blades cuneate to spatulate, 2-25 × 2-16 mm, midnerves evident or faint, (margins usually flat) apices rounded, obtuse, or retuse, sometimes mucronate, faces glabrous, gland-dotted (in pits), thickly resinous; axillary leaf fascicles rarely present . Heads usually borne singly, sometimes in rounded, cymiform arrays (to 5 × 8 cm). Peduncles 2-10 mm (bracts 0-10+, scalelike). Involucres turbinate to narrowly campanulate, 6-12.5 × 4-14 mm. Phyllaries 20-60 in 3-7 series, tan, ovate to lanceolate, 2-6 × 0.5-2.5 mm, unequal, mostly chartaceous, sometimes each with herbaceous subapical patch, midnerves evident on proximal ¹ / 2 or throughout, subapical resin ducts 0 or slightly darker, thickened and expanded, (margins membranous, weakly lacerate) apices acute to acuminate or obtuse, abaxial faces glabrous. Ray florets 0(-7); laminae 3-4.3 × 1-1.5 mm. Disc florets 7-70; corollas ca. 5.5 mm. Cypselae tan to brown, turbinate, 2.5-3 mm, sericeous to villous; pappi off-white to brown, 6.5-8 mm. 2n = 18. Variety spathulata extends into Mexico. It is reported to hybridize with Ericameria nauseosa.

Plant: shrub, 1-10 dm, glabrous, ± gland-dotted Leaves: 2-25 mm, ± oblanceolate or obovate, obtuse, entire INFLORESCENCE: primary inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower; heads radiate or discoid in small compact cymes; involucre 6-12 mm, 4-14 mm diam, obconic; phyllaries 20-30 in 4-6 series, lanceolate to obovate, glabrous, sometimes resinous Flowers: Ray flowers 0-3; corollas < 5 mm, yellow; Disk flowers 7-70; corollas ± 5.5 mm, yellow Fruit: 2.5-3 mm, 5-ribbed, silky-hairy; pappus < corolla, sparse, brown Misc: Outcrops, slopes, cliffs; 100-2800 m.