It is a bushy
shrub tall with multibranched woody or semi-woody stems that grow from
taproots. It is coated in woolly fibers with hairless strips at intervals along the branches. It has no spines. The lance-shaped leaves are no more than long and woolly or silver-haired in texture. Longer-lived leaves are alternately arranged along the stem and smaller, shorter-lived leaves occur in clusters near the axils of the primary leaves. The
inflorescence bears usually three to six
flower heads which are each enveloped in four thick
phyllaries coated in white woolly hairs. Each head contains four tubular flowers in shades of pale to bright yellow, each long. Flowers are produced in May through October. The fruit is an
achene long including its long
pappus of bristles. The shrub is
wildfire-resistant, resprouting vigorously and increasing in herbage and seed production in seasons following a fire.
Fire suppression efforts decrease the abundance of the shrub and frequent burns increase it.
Native American groups used this plant for a number of medicinal purposes, including protection from
ghosts and
witches. ==References==