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Dwarf perennial of the Asteraceae family, native to the Rockies of Colorado and Wyoming, where it settles in rock crevices, fine scree, and exposed gravelly slopes, generally between 3,000 and 4,000 meters in altitude. It favors very well-drained, poor substrates subjected to long winter snow cover.
It forms dense and tight cushions, barely 5 to 10 cm in height, remarkable above all for their foliage: the leaves are deeply pinnatisect — as its name directly indicates — cut into very fine rounded lobes, from a glaucous green to grayish, covered with short and dense hairiness that gives them an almost granular velvety texture to the touch. This finely chiseled foliage is one of the most original of the genus and is enough to distinguish the species at first glance, even outside of flowering.
The floral stems, thin and erect, each bear a single capitulum with pink-lilac to pale lavender ligules, few but well arranged, around a bright and prominent yellow disc.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to August. In cultivation, it occurs in June-July depending on the exposure.
It requires absolute drainage, a poor mineral substrate, full sun, and rigorous protection against stagnant moisture in winter. It is a plant for demanding rock gardens, to be cultivated in an alpine trough or under a cold glass shelter.