Annuals. Stems 0 or 1 (erect, 0-5 cm). Leaves mostly erect, sometimes prostrate; petioles not purplish, margins glabrous or ciliate; blades usually oblanceolate to spatulate, rarely linear, 1-25 cm, margins entire or lobed; lobes 2-3 pairs, linear to spatulate, spreading to antrorse, lobules mostly 0, glabrous or densely hairy. Peduncles elongating after flowering, 3-60 cm in fruit, glabrous or glabrate, or basally puberulent and apically hairy to tomentose, sometimes stipitate-glandular. Involucres cylindric to hemispheric, 1-2 cm in fruit. Phyllaries in 2-3 series, green or medially rosy purple, sometimes purple-black spotted or tipped, subequal to unequal, margins glabrous or ciliate, faces usually puberulent to villous, mostly stipitate-glandular, sometimes glabrous; outer erect or spreading, adaxially usually villous to lanate, sometimes glabrous; inner erect, ± elongating after flowering. Receptacles epaleate. Florets 5-100(-300); corollas yellow, tubes 1-5 mm, ligules 2-15 × 1-3 mm; anthers 1-4 mm. Cypselae 7-16 mm, bodies mostly fusiform to obconic, sometimes tumid, 2-5(-10) mm, beaks 5-11 mm, lengths 1-4 times bodies, ribs 0 or alate, straight to strongly undulate, uniform or diminishing proximally; pappus bristles in 2-3 series, 4-9 mm.

Plant: Annual 5-40 cm, ± white-hairy (except densely yellow- to reddish hairy and glandular at base of head); sap milky Leaves: generally oblanceolate, acute, entire to few-toothed, less often narrower and lobed, generally softly or roughly white-hairy INFLORESCENCE: 1 head, resembling a flower; involucre 8-25 mm; outer phyllaries oblong-lanceolate, generally ciliate and glandular-hairy on back, often reddish tinged or striped, tip tapered, green; inner phyllaries much elongated in fruit; receptacle flat, naked Flowers: 5-many, = to >> involucre; ligules yellow; corolla lobes generally (0)4-5; stamens 4-5, anthers generally fused into cylinder around style, often appendaged at tips, bases, or both, filaments generally free, generally attached to corolla near throat; pistil 1, ovary inferior, 1-chambered, 1-seeded, style 1, branches 2, generally hair-tufted at tip, stigmas 2, generally on inside of style branches Fruit: Fruit: body 2-5 mm, linear to fusiform, variable; ± 10-ribbed, often wavy-ribbed; sometimes inflated; beak >> body; pappus of many fine, simple, white bristles Misc: open habitats; < 2000 m.