Annuals, 15-50+ cm; internodes mostly 15-30+ mm. Leaf blades oval or elliptic to obovate, 15-35+ × 8-25+ mm. Phyllaries 5, linear, 15-25+ mm. Florets mostly 30-50+; corollas greenish to purplish, 9-12.5 mm. Cypselae 9-12 mm; pappi: longer bristles 7-10 mm. 2n = 22. Flowering late summer-fall. Ephemerally wet sites in desert mountains; 1000-1500 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.; Mexico; West Indies (Antilles); Central America; South America.