Herbage glabrous or glabrescent at flowering (except in leaf axils and among heads). Leaves: basal and proximal cauline distinctly petiolate; blades (cauline) elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate. Heads (3–)8–20+. Phyllaries linear-subulate, 6–7(–8) mm, tips usually green, minutely, if at all, black. Ray florets 5–8+; corollas yellow, laminae 6–8+ mm.

Flowering spring. Open prairies and plains; 200–1500 m; Alta., Man., Sask.; Colo., Iowa, Kans., Minn., Mont., Nebr., N.Mex., N.Dak., S.Dak., Wyo.

Variety integerrimus intergrades with var. exaltatus in the Rocky Mountains.