Like the Common Dandelion this species has a milky juice in stems and leaves, only ray flowers and a basal rosette of leaves. Technical differences of the fruits, seen only with a hand lens, seperate the two groups. The flowering stems, which are from 6 to 20 inches in height, have no leaves. The flower heads are up to 1.5 inches broad and are attractive to a variety of pollinators. The fruits are distributed by the wind catching the many fine bristles which surround a well-defined beak. Habitats vary from rocky sagebrush conditions to subalpine meadows.{Plants of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks by Richard J. Shaw pg 82}