Homopappus paniculatus Nuttall, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 331. 1840; Haplopappus paniculatus (Nuttall) A. Gray var. virgatus A. Gray; H. racemosus (Nuttall) Torrey subsp. brachycephalus (A. Nelson) H. M. Hall; H. racemosus subsp. duriuscula (Greene) H. M. Hall; H. racemosus subsp. glomeratus (Nuttall) H. M. Hall; H. racemosus var. glomerellus A. Gray; H. racemosus subsp. halophilus (Greene) H. M. Hall; H. racemosus subsp. prionophyllus (Greene) H. M. Hall; H. racemosus var. prionophyllus (Greene) S. L. Welsh

Plants 20–75 cm. Stems glabrous. Leaves: basal blades oblanceolate to elliptic, 50–250 × 5–25 mm, rather thick and succulent, margins entire or denticulate, faces glabrous, often glaucous. Heads pedunculate or sessile, often crowded distally, in narrowly paniculiform, racemiform, or spiciform arrays. Involucres hemispheric, 6–8 × 8–12 mm. Phyllaries: bases pale, margins sometimes ciliate, apices erect, green, acute, faces glabrous. Cypsela faces glabrous or densely sericeous. 2n = 12, 24.

Flowering Jul–Oct. Alkaline meadows, open fields, around hot springs and boggy areas; 100–2500 m; Calif., Idaho, Nev., Oreg., Utah.

Variety paniculata is recognized by its relatively small involucres and glabrous phyllaries. This is the most variable variety and here includes a number of forms previously treated as separate varieties or subspecies. Both diploid and tetraploid races occur; there appears to be no corresponding morphologic differences (R. A. Mayes 1976).