Leaf faces glabrous or hirtellous. Heads in loose, corymbiform arrays. Involucres hemispheric to globose, 7-10 mm wide. Rays 0. The two varieties were mapped as geographically intermingling in southern California (M. A. Lane 1988). Considerable variation in expression of vestiture occurs in the area where the hirtellous-leaved plants grow and identifications should be recognized as arbitrary.

Plant: Subshrubs, appearing glabrous; stems decumbent, much-branched, ascending to erect, generally < 1 m, old growth gray; bark sometimes shreddy with age; new growth white below, tips green Leaves: simple, sometimes in axillary clusters below, spreading-ascending to appressed-erect, < 1.5 cm, < 3 mm wide, generally linear to oblanceolate, minutely spine-tipped, pale green to light gray-green INFLORESCENCE: primary inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower; heads very many, borne singly or clustered; involucre hemispheric to spheric Flowers: Ray flowers 0; Disk flowers 13-27; corollas 2-3.5 mm, funnel-shaped, yellow, sinuses deep, lobes spreading to reflexed, style-branch appendages lanceolate Fruit: < 3 mm achene, densely long-hairy, hairs white, bronze, or brownish; pappus of 20-25 wide, stiff, widely spreading bristles, slightly > fruit Misc: Gravelly or rocky soils on flats or slopes in deserts to juniper woodlands; 60-2200 m.