Herbs, 3-20 × 1.5-8 dm, tomentose or nearly glabrous.  Aerial flowering stems erect, 2-17 dm, occasionally finely striated or grooved. Leaves: petiole 5-20 cm; blade lanceolate or oblanceolate to oblong, 0.5-20 × 0.3-2.5(-3) cm, tomentose abaxially, less so to floccose or glabrous adaxially.    Inflorescences 5-50(-80) × 5-50 cm; bracts 3, scalelike, usually triangular, 1-5 mm. Peduncles 0.3-3 cm, thinly tomentose or nearly glabrous. Involucres turbinate to campanulate, 3-7 × 1.5-6 mm; teeth 0.2-0.8 mm. Flowers 5-15 mm, including (0.5-)1-4(-7) mm stipelike base; perianth yellow, densely white- to silvery-tomentose abaxially; tepals monomorphic, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic; stamens 1.7-2.5 mm; filaments glabrous. Achenes brown, 4-6 mm, densely tomentose.