Cudweed is a sparsely branching annual. Some plants will survive into the second year to mature, behaving as a biennial. The cotyledon leaves, as well as the first true leaves, are covered with whitish to light gray woolly hairs. The first true leaves are smooth and taper gradually toward the base. The mature plant is sparsely branched, mostly erect, and 8 to 20 inches tall. The flower heads are crowded, spike-like, and densely arranged on the stem or at the base of leaf stalks. The fruit bears bristly, tuft-like projections that shed at maturity.
