Taprooted perennial. Stems erect or ascending, scapose, 10–60 cm. Herbage glabrous to sparsely hispid. Leaf blades ovate, 2–12 cm long, entire to shallowly, runcinately, pinnately lobed; cauline leaves reduced or absent. Heads 1 to 10. Involucre campanulate, 8–12 mm high; phyllaries linear-lanceolate, scarious-margined, glabrous or white stipitate-glandular. Rays 20 to 50; ligules 7–14 mm long. Achenes brown, 3–7 mm long, narrowed above or short-beaked (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Our plants are subspecies
rucinata,
hispidulosa (Howell ex Rydb.) Babc. & Stebbins, or
glauca (Nutt.) Babc. & Stebbins.
Meadows, moist grasslands, often adjacent to wetlands; plains, valleys, subalpine (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).