Plants 5-20 cm. Stems stems prostrate or ascending to erect, green when young (± concealed by tomentum), becoming tan to brown, moderately branched, densely floccose-tomentose, eglandular. Leaves ascending; blades elliptic or oblanceolate (flat), 6-15 × 2.5-5 mm, midnerves prominent, apices acute (often curved downward), faces densely silvery white floccose-tomentose, eglandular; fascicles absent. Heads usually borne singly, sometimes (2-3) in racemiform arrays (5-20 mm wide). Peduncles 1-5 mm (tomentose, bracts 0-3, phyllary-like). Involucres obconic, 9-12 × 3-4 mm. Phyllaries 11-15 in 2-3 series, lanceolate or elliptic to oblanceolate, 1.5-5 × 0.8-1.3 mm, subequal, outer herbaceous or herbaceous-tipped, inner mostly chartaceous or herbaceous-tipped, midnerves conspicuous, raised, (margins: outer herbaceous, entire, floccose-tomentose, inner narrowly scarious, minutely lacerate) apices acute to acuminate, outer abaxial faces floccose-tomentose, inner glabrate. Ray florets 0. Disc florets 4-9; corollas ca. 9 mm. Cypselae tan to brown, narrowly oblanceoloid, 5-7 mm (5-ribbed), densely sericeous; pappi tan, 8-9 mm. Flowering late summer-fall. Silty-clay and clay-shale slopes; of conservation concern; 2000-2200 m; Idaho, Wyo.