Annuals 6-30 cm; vestiture sparsely hispido-pilose, stem hairs spreading at right angles, straight, 0.6-2.4 mm, thick-based. Phyllary apices long-acuminate. Ray florets 13-21. Disc floret corollas: base not swollen and indurate. Cypselae: hairs apically straight; pappi coroniform, ciliate, 0.2-0.7 mm. 2n = 8. Flowering May-Jul. Sand or sandy clay, open scrub oak woodlands, mesquite savannas, fields, disturbed sites, roadsides; 30-200 m; Okla., Tex. Aphanostephus pilosus is recognized by its reduced habit, distinct vestiture, small heads, and long-acuminate phyllary apices.