Keysseria helenae, a member of the Asteraceae (sunflower) family, is a rhizomatous herb that is branched at the base. Scapes (flowering stalks) are 10 to 35 cm (4 to 14 in) long and are moderately to densely hirsute (covered with long, rather stiff hairs). Leaves are in a basal rosette or distributed 3 to 12 cm (1.2 to 4.7 in) along the stem, spatulate to oblong, 1.2 to 3.5 cm (0.5 to 1.4 in) long, 0.3 to 1.3 cm (0.1 to 0.5 in) wide, with subsessile (stalk-less and attached directly at the base), globose glands. Flower heads are solitary, 10 to 14 mm (0.4 to 0.6 in) in diameter, with inconspicuous ray florets white or tinged purple and deeply and asymmetrically lobed. Corollas are yellow, lobed, 1.7 to 2.9 mm (0.07 to 0.1 in) long, with globose glands. Achenes (any small, dry, hard, one-seeded, indehiscent fruit) are somewhat compressed, with a conspicuous cartilaginous ring at maturity, 1.3 to 2.5 mm (0.05 to 0.1 in) long, with globose glands near the apex.