Perennials, 10-50 cm; root crowns woody, branched. Stems 1-4[-8]. branches divaricate, rigid, spine-tipped, with conspicuous tufts of light brown, wool in axils of bud scales at and just below ground level, otherwise glabrous (bud scales lanceolate, 8-30 × 5-8 mm, entire). Leaves cauline; sessile; proximal blades linear, margins entire; distal bractlike. Heads (± subsessile, erect), borne singly or in paniculiform arrays. Peduncles not inflated, not bracteate. Calyculi of 4-6 bractlets (unequal, lengths to ¹/2 phyllaries). Involucres cylindric. 2-3+ mm diam. Phyllaries 3-5 in ±1 series, linear-lanceolate. Receptacles flat or convex. smooth, glabrous, epaleate. Florets 3-5; corollas pink or lavender. Cypselae tan, columnar, apices truncate (beaks 0), with 5 equal faces. separated by weakly rounded ribs, each face with central. narrow, shallow, longitudinal groove, glabrous; pappi persistent, of 50-60, distinct, light tan, barbellate bristles (of 2 lengths). x = 8.