Herbage moderately to densely hairy. Distal cauline leaf blades lanceolate to elliptic, not much reduced distally. Heads in wide arrays, usually with elongate proximal branches greatly exceeding subtending leaves. Rays florets 5-10. 2n = 18, 36. Flowering Aug-Nov. Sandy, silty, and clay soils, fields, thickets, edges of woods, roadsides, ditches; 0-1200+ m; Ont.; Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Miss., Mo., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va. Variety aspera is the common race of the species in the southeastern United States. It also occurs infrequently further north to Michigan and Massachusetts. It is most commonly tetraploid , with diploids also occurring through the range.