Perennials, 20-100 cm. Stems usually 1, unbranched or sparingly branched distally, weakly to moderately winged, glabrous proximally, sparsely to moderately hairy distally. Leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy; basal blades oblanceolate to spatulate, entire or undulate to undulate-serrate; proximal and mid blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, usually entire, sometimes undulate to undulate-serrate; distal blades lance-linear, entire. Heads 1-10 per plant, borne singly or in paniculiform to corymbiform arrays. Peduncles (3-)6-11(-15) cm, sparsely to moderately hairy. Involucres hemispheric to globoid, 10-15 × 10-20 mm. Phyllaries (connate proximally) sparsely to moderately hairy. Ray florets 9-24, neuter; corollas yellow, 12.5-21 × 4-8 mm. Disc florets 200-500(-800+); corollas yellow proximally, usually purple to yellow or yellow-brown distally, 4-5.6 mm, lobes 5. Cypselae 1-1.4 mm, sparsely to moderately hairy; pappi of 6-8 entire, non-aristate scales 1-1.7 mm. 2n = 26, 28. Flowering Mar-May. Ditches, fields, other moist areas such as wet woods, bogs, and swamp edges; 0-80 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., Va.