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Stemless perennial of the Asteraceae family, native to the Great Plains and the Rockies of North America, from Montana to New Mexico. It colonizes dry lawns, scree, rocky slopes, and high-altitude meadows on very well-drained substrates, often between 1,500 and 3,500 meters.
The plant forms a flattened rosette, strictly lying against the ground, barely exceeding 3 to 5 cm in height. The leaves are narrowly spatulate to linear, gray-green, slightly pubescent, and often take on purple to pink-brown hues under stress or cold conditions. The capitula, sessile or nearly so, emerge directly at the heart of the rosette; the ligules are pure white to very slightly pink on the reverse, the central disc bright yellow.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from April to June depending on altitude. In cultivation, it occurs early in spring, often as early as March-April. At the end of flowering, the achenes with silky pappus form a white downy ball, as decorative as the flowers themselves.
It requires perfect drainage, a lean mineral substrate, and full sun exposure. Winter moisture at the collar is fatal to it; cultivation in pots or alpine troughs with protection from cold rains is often preferable under oceanic climates. It is a demanding collector's plant, highly prized by enthusiasts of North American high mountain plants.