Perennials, 4–25(–50) cm; taprooted, caudices simple or branched, branches sometimes rhizomelike. Stems ascending to erect, sparsely to densely hispido-pilose to glabrate, minutely glandular. Leaves mostly basal (usually persistent) or basal and cauline (petioles prominently ciliate, hairs spreading, thick-based); blades narrowly oblanceolate to linear-oblong, 10–50(–80) × 1–4 mm, margins entire, usually ciliate, faces usually hirsute to hirsuto-villous, sometimes substrigose to glabrate, eglandular; cauline unreduced or gradually reduced distally. Heads 1–5. Involucres 4–7 × 7–12(–15) mm. Phyllaries in 2–4 series (midvein region orange or yellowish), hirsute to hirsuto-villous, ± minutely glandular. Ray florets 50–100(–125); corollas white to pink or blue, 6–15 mm, laminae reflexing. Disc corollas 3–5 mm (throats indurate and inflated, hirsuto-strigose, hairs biseriate, sharply pointed). Cypselae 1.2–1.8 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigoso-hirsute; pappi: outer of scales (0.2–0.5 mm), inner of (7–)10–14(–15) bristles.
