Herbage sparsely hairy. Distal cauline leaf blades ovate, much re-duced distally. Heads in narrow (wand-shaped) arrays, proximal branches not greatly exceeding sub-tending leaves. Ray florets 5–9. 2n = 36.

Flowering Sep–Oct. Sandy, gravelly soils, woods, roadsides at higher elevations; 800–1800+ m; Ga., N.C., Tenn.

Variety cronquistiana is known only at the tetraploid level and occurs at mid to high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The elongate, narrow, leafy arrays can be wand-shaped with the branches much shorter than the subtending leaves.