Plants 2-10 dm tall, unbranched or sparingly branched, somewhat arachnoid-villous below, otherwise glabrous or nearly so. Leaves variable in shape and size, narrowly elliptic to obovate or oblong-lanceolate, usually 4-15 cm long, 1-7 cm wide, margins subentire to dentate. Heads urn-shaped to turbinate, nearly as long as wide, ca. " as long as corolla, bracts 10-13, usually 6-9 mm long; florets usually more than 50 per head, conspicuously longer than the involucre by usually 2-5 mm, corollas bright orange, the lobes 1.6-2.2 mm long. Fruit an achene 2–5 mm long, shortly hairy; pappus 3–5 mm long.

PROTAbase: Emilia coccinea

A cold water compress of the bruised plant is applied to the eyes for treating eye inflammations. The leaves together with those of Ipomoea eriocarpa R.Br. are soaked in water can also be used as eye drops. Crushed green leaves are used to treat wounds, sores and sinusitis. Dried powdered leaves are also applied to sores. Roots or leaves are boiled and the decoction is used to treat syphilis. The roots are used to treat colic in babies and as a chest medicine.