Perennials, 2-15(-20) cm; taprooted, caudex branches commonly relatively slender, lignescent. Stems erect, sparsely strigillose (hairs white, stiff), sometimes minutely glandular. Leaves mostly basal (persistent); (gray-green) blades 1-nerved spatulate, rhombic-elliptic to narrowly elliptic-ovate, (10-)15-80 × 2-7 mm, margins entire (apices sharply acute), faces moderately to densely strigillose (hairs white, stiff), eglandular. Heads 1(-3). Involucres 3-5 × 6-12 mm. Phyllaries in 2-3 series, sparsely to moderately hirsute, densely minutely glandular. Ray florets (15-)20-40; corollas blue to purple, 4-8 mm, laminae not coiling or reflexing. Disc corollas 2.5-4.1 mm. Cypselae 1.6-2.5 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose; pappi: outer of setae, inner of 15-25(-30) bristles. 2n = 18. Flowering Jun-Sep. Rocky or gravelly habitats, often in talus, cliff ledges, crevices, or along ridgetops, in Atriplex, sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, yellow pine, bristlecone pine, limber pine, or spruce; 1700-3200(-3400) m; Ariz., Calif., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.

Plant: Perennial 2-15 cm, from taproot and branched caudex, cespitose, generally simple, short-white-appressed-hairy, glandless Leaves: alternate; basal 1-8 cm, long-petioled, oblanceolate to elliptic; cauline much reduced INFLORESCENCE: primary inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower; head 1(2), 5-12 mm diam; phyllaries ± equal, spreading-hairy, sessile-glandular; receptacle flat to steeply conic, naked, smooth to shallowly pitted Flowers: Ray flowers 18-40; corollas 4-8 mm, ligules bluish, not coiled or reflexed; Disk flowers many; corollas generally narrowly funnel-shaped, yellow; style tips 0.1-0.8 mm, ± triangular Fruit: Fruit: 0.5-3 mm, generally ± oblong, compressed to ± cylindric, generally 2-ribbed, generally sparsely hairy; pappus bristles 15-30 Misc: Crevices or ledges from sagebrush scrub to yellow-pine forest; 2300-3400 m.; Jun-Sep