Plants 30-150 cm. Leaves opposite; petioles 1-10 mm; blades 1- or 3-nerved from bases, broadly rhombic-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 25-100 × 5-40 mm, margins entire or ± dentate. Heads in corymbiform arrays. Peduncles 5-20 mm. Involucres 7-11 mm. Phyllaries green to stramineous, sometimes purple-tinged (lengths of outer to ¹/2 inner, apices acute to acuminate, not contorted). Florets 6-15; corollas pale yellow to maroon, 4.5-6 mm. Cypselae 4-5.5 mm. 2n = 18. Flowering May-Oct. Open areas, wide range of soils; 200-2300 m; Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., Ind., Ky., La., Md., Miss., N.J., N.C., Ohio, Pa., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va.