Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and Nebraska.

Habitat: Dry, open places in sagebrush desert to ponderosa pine forest openings, often on lithosol.

Flowers: April-May

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Apomixis, butterflies, flies, wasps

Plants form small, compact mats from a multi-branched woody base (caudex). Plants are not stoloniferous (horizontal stems along ground surface).

Compactly arranged; narrow to linear and sometimes broadest in the upper half; with dense, silky hairs.

Plants have either all female (pistillate) or all male (staminate) flowers (= dioecious). A single head containing several flowers terminates the leafy stems. Staminate heads 5-7 mm. high and appear blackish-green; pistillate heads 10-15 mm high and appear brown to reddish-brown.

Achene.