The pygmy hawksbeard grows as a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches a height of 5 to 15 centimetres (2.0 to 5.9 in).

The stems are arching and ascending, mostly branched, one or more heads, white tomentose or glabrous, often tinged with purple.

The cup-shaped inflorescence has a diameter of about 2 to 3 centimetres (3⁄4 to 1+1⁄4 in) and contains only ray florets.

[3] The pygmy hawksbeard occurs in the Pyrenees and the western Alps, in Spain, Andorra, France, Switzerland, and Austria.

[4] The plant thrives on moist, coarse scree slopes at elevations of 1,500 to 2,900 metres (4,900 to 9,500 ft).