Townsendia alpigena Piper; T. alpigena var. caelilinensis (S. L. Welsh) Kartesz & Gandhi; T. montana var. caelilinensis S. L. Welsh

Perennials, mostly 1–2+ cm (usually ± pulvinate). Stems ± erect; internodes 0.1–1(–2) mm, strigose. Leaves basal and cauline, blades ± spatulate to oblanceolate, 10–35+ × 2–5+ mm, not fleshy, faces usually ± strigose, sometimes glabrous. Heads usually on scapiform peduncles 5–60+ mm, sometimes sessile. Involucres hemispheric to campanulate, 8–15 mm diam. Phyllaries 18–32 in 3–4+ series, the longer ± oblanceolate, 6–9 mm (l/w = 3–5), glabrate, or sparsely strigillose, apices obtuse to acute, abaxial faces glabrous. Ray florets 13–21+; corollas usually white, sometimes pink or blue, adaxially, laminae 6–12 mm, abaxially usually glandular-puberulent, sometimes glabrous. Disc florets 30–60+; corollas 3.5–5.5 mm. Cypselae 4.5 mm, faces glabrous or hairy at bases, hair tips glochidiform; pappi persistent; on ray cypselae 24–30+ subulate to setiform scales 5–6 mm; on disc cypselae 24–30+ subulate to setiform scales 5.5–6.6 mm. 2n = 18, 36.

Flowering (May–)Jul–Aug. Meadows, granite and limestone ridges; 2000–3100 m; Colo., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.