All leaves have a covering of soft white hairs. The base of each leaf clasps around the stem at the point of attachment. All three whitetop species are herbaceous, relatively long-lived and rhizomatous perennial weeds. They begin their life-cycle in the fall with seed germination and seedling establishment. Occasionally, seeds germinate in the spring.
Seed leaves grow very rapidly and lateral roots develop within three weeks.
Seedlings overwinter as rosettes. Established plants and first year rosettes initiate growth very early each spring. These species frequently bloom in April and May and begin producing seeds about a month later. After blooming, the plants continue to grow until frost. If conditions remain suitable, they will flower and produce a second crop of seeds late in the summer.