Taprooted perennial. Stems erect, 8–30 cm. Herbage gray-tomentose; stems setose-glandular above. Leaf blades ovate to elliptic, 3–20 cm long, pinnately lobed ca. halfway to the midvein into runcinate, lanceolate, dentate segments. Heads 2 to 25. Involucre narrowly campanulate, 11–19 mm high; phyllaries linear-lanceolate, tomentose, usually black glandular-setose. Rays 10 to 40; ligules 10–15 mm long. Achenes brown, 3–7 mm long, narrowed above but not beaked (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
According to Lesica (2012), our plants appear to be be subspecies
costata (A. Gray) Babc.& Stebbins