General:
Biennial or perennial herb from a taproot; stems ascending to erect, sparsely to densely woolly, sometimes glandular in the inflorescence, 10-60 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves 1-3 pinnately cut, 2-12 cm long, stalked, ultimate segments contorted and curled; stem leaves reduced and becoming unstalked upwards.

Flowers:
Heads discoid, usually several in a flat-topped inflorescence, or the lateral branches overtopping the central axis; involucres 7-17 mm tall; involucral bracts narrowly oblanceolate, glandular or glandular-hairy; disk flowers 50-70, white, sometimes pinkish.

Fruits:
Achenes 6-8 mm long, densely stiff-hairy; pappus of 10-16 unequal scales.

Notes:
A second Chaenactis (C. douglasii var. alpina Gray [C. alpina]) has previously been recognized as occurring in BC (Douglas et al. 1989). During 1995 the site of the only collection of the this taxon in BC was revisited and all plants in the population were identified as C. douglasii var. douglasii. The original collection was of an atypical plant, without stem leaves.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Chaenactis angustifolia Greene
Chaenactis brachiata Greene
Chaenactis brachiata var. stansburiana Stockwell
Chaenactis cineria Stockw.
Chaenactis douglasii var. achilleifolia (Hook. & Arn.) A. Gray
Chaenactis douglasii var. glandulosa Cronq.
Chaenactis douglasii var. montana M.E. Jones
Chaenactis douglasii var. nana Stockwell
Chaenactis douglasii var. rubricaulis Rydb.
Chaenactis douglasii var. typicus Cronq.
Chaenactis humilis Rydb.
Chaenactis panamintensis Stockw.
Chaenactis ramosa Stockw.
Chaenactis rubricaulis Rydb.
Chaenactis suksdorfii Stockw.