Shrubs, round to erect, 3–20(–35) × (3–)5–20(–35) dm, tomentose to floccose or glabrate, grayish to reddish. Stems spreading to erect, occasionally with persistent leaf bases, up to 3/4 or more height of plant, often with a distinct main trunk up to 1 dm thick; caudex stems absent; aerial flowering stems erect to spreading, slender to stout, solid, not fistulose, 1–4 dm, tomentose to glabrate. Leaves cauline, 1 per node; petiole 0.5–4 cm, tomentose; blade oblong-ovate to ovate or lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 2.5–7(–10) × 1–5 cm, white-tomentose abaxially, sometimes slightly less so or cinereous to somewhat glabrate and greenish adaxially, margins plane, sometimes crisped. Inflorescences cymose, open or compact, 5–30 × (2–)5–50(–80) cm; branches dichotomous, tomentose to floccose or glabrate; bracts 3, scalelike, broadly triangular, and 1–2 mm, or leaflike, oblanceolate to elliptic, and 5–30 mm. Peduncles absent or erect, slender, 0.1–0.5 cm, tomentose. Involucres 1 per node, campanulate, 3–5 × 2.5–4 mm, tomentose; teeth 5, erect, 0.3–0.8 mm. Flowers 2–4 mm; perianth white to rose, white-villous abaxially; tepals connate proximal 1/4, monomorphic, obovate; stamens exserted, 2–4 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes brown, 2–3.5 mm, glabrous.
