Perennial herb; stems ascending-erect, (4-) 8-12 dm tall, moderately puberulent and branching on the upper half; leaves densely arranged on the stems, thick textured, elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-oblanceolate, 4-7 cm long, 12-20 mm wide, smaller into the inflorescence, basally attenuate to a subpetiolate portion 2-3 mm long, margins shallowly crenate-serrate, surfaces puberulent and minutely stipitate-glandular; inflorescence a complex cylindric-conic to pyramidal thyrse, 25-40 cm long, 15-30 (-35) cm wide, not at all one-sided; heads turbinate-campanulate, 3-5 mm wide; phyllaries in 4-5 graduated series, lanceolate to oblanceolate, apically acute, inner 5.5-6 mm long, outer about half as long; ray flowers 11-15, corollas yellow, erect, 5-7 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide; disc flowers 5-6 mm long, corolla lobes 2.6-3 mm long; achenes 2.5-3 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, glabrous; pappus of apically acute barbellate bristles. Flowers late August through September.