Plants 10–30(–50) cm. Stems erect to decumbent, puberulent, hairs spreading-deflexed, 0.1–0.3 mm. Leaves not strongly thickened or felty gray-hairy. Ray florets (18–)24–45. Pappi coroniform, usually uneven, ciliate, 0.1–0.3 mm, rarely of awn-tipped scales. 2n = 6.

Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jul(–Aug). Sand, sandy loam, sandy clay, silt, gravel, river terraces, oak woodlands, mesquite savannas, fields, roadsides; 10–900 m; Ark., Kans., La., N.Mex., Okla., Tex.