Plants 10–60+ cm (strongly self-incompatible); branching ± pseudo-dichotomous, distal stems eglandular or sparsely stipitate-glandular. Leaves: blades green, usually eglandular (distal egland-ular or stipitate-glandular, glands mostly purple, some yellow). Heads in paniculiform arrays. Calyculi 0 or of 2–3 bractlets. Involucres ± hemispheric to obovoid. Phyllaries 4–6.5 mm, ± hirtellous to scabrellous on angles, hairs ± antrorsely curved, 0.1–0.6 mm. Ray laminae 7–13 mm. Cypselae dull (striate). 2n = 14.

Flowering Apr–Jun. Grasslands, openings in woodlands; 50–900 m; Calif.

Lagophylla dichotoma occurs in the western Sierra Nevada foothills and adjacent eastern San Joaquin Valley and in the northern South Inner Coast Ranges (where plants are notably stipitate-glandular, unlike most Sierran and San Joaquin Valley collections).