Each phyllary is ovate , with a green base and a broad, papery margin at the tip . Plants primarily outcross. Achenes white or pale gray , obovoid, lacking a lateral notch at the base , and 3-4 mm long . Pappus consists of many unequal, early deciduous , white bristles, about 6-10 mm long. Each bristle is minutely barbed on the lower part and plumose on the upper part.
Old flower stems can persist for an extended period after senescence.
Phyllaries and achenes remaining on old stems can aid with species identification. Fields, cultivated sites, orchards, vineyards, roadsides, ditchbanks, and waste places. Inhabits many soil types. Throughout California, except for the wettest areas of the northwest and driest regions of the Great Basin and Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Known populations in all counties except Calaveras, Del Norte, El Dorado, Humboldt, Mariposa, Mendocino, Sierra, and Trinity.