Perennials, 30-100 cm (poly­carpic, often with blackish, stout rhizomes). Stems 1-4, green throughout to often purple-red-tinted proximally to purple-red-tinted throughout, branched distally, glabrous or ± hairy. Leaves: blades simple, glabrous or ± hairy, gland-dotted; mid leaves simple. Heads 1-12 per plant, in paniculiform to corymbiform arrays. Peduncles 3-16 cm, ± hairy, tomentose distally near involucres. Involucres hemispheric to broadly campanulate, 12-17 × 19-26 mm. Phyllaries in 2 series, subequal; outer 16-24, basally connate ¹/4-¹/3 their lengths, ovate to lanceolate, 11-16 mm, apices acute; inner 20-26, obovate to elliptic, 7.5-8.5 mm, apices acuminate to acute. Ray florets 14-26; corollas usually yellow-orange to orange, 21-45 × 4.2-8.5 mm. Disc florets 100-325+; corollas 4.2-5.4 mm. Cypselae obpyramidal to narrowly obpyramidal, 3.5-4.5 mm; pappi of 5-7 lanceolate to lanceolate-acuminate scales 2.9-4.1 mm. 2n = 30. Flowering (May-)Jul-Aug(-Nov). Mountain meadows, open forests, along streams; 1500-3700 m; Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.