General:
Perennial herb from a stout taproot and branching, woody stem-base or deep-seated, stout, creeping roots; stems much branched throughout, glabrous, exuding milky juice when broken, 10-70 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves alternate, linear to threadlike, entire or sparsely toothed, 1.5-8 cm long, 2-3 mm wide, uppermost reduced and scalelike.

Flowers:
Heads with strap-shaped flowers, numerous, terminating the open branches; involucres 7-11 mm tall; involucral bracts lanceolate with mostly 5 glabrous, principal bracts and several much-reduced outer ones; ray flowers pink or occasionally white, mostly 5.

Fruits:
Achenes, 4-6 mm long, longitudinally ribbed and grooved; pappus of white feathery bristles.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lygodesmia tenuifolia (Raf.) Shinners
Stephanomeria minor var. uintensis (Goodrich & S.L. Welsh) Kartesz
Stephanomeria tenuifolia var. uintaensis Goodrich & S.L. Welsh
Stephanomeria tenuifolia var. uintensis Goodrich & S.L. Welsh