Plants greenish to grayish, (2–)8–17 cm. Leaves mostly cauline, largest (10–)13–32 × 4–8(–10) mm; blades broadly oblanceolate to obovate, arachnoid-sericeous. Heads: longest 3.6–4.5 mm. Pistillate paleae 3–4.5 mm. Cypselae mostly 1.3–1.7 mm.

Flowering and fruiting mostly late Mar–early Jun. Open soils, often shallow and rocky, usually over serpentine; 10–900 m; Calif.

Variety sparsiflora is known from the Coast Ranges and has outliers in western San Diego County and on the nearer Channel Islands. In the southern half of its range, it grows mostly in coastal marine environments, where it remains distinct from the north-coastal var. brevifolia. Consistently stemless plants from Santa Rosa Island may warrant taxonomic separation.