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Main stems very stout, up to 1 m. or more long, procumbent, rooting, pilose; branches stout, pilose, up to 15 cm. or more long. Lvs up to 10 cm. or more long, 9-13-foliolate. Stipules lfy, up to 1 cm. long, 3-fid to simple. Lflts brownish to pale green above, paler below, glab. or nearly so above, pilose on veins below; coarsely serrate-dentate. Upper lflts c. 2 × 1·5 cm., obovate-oblong to oblong, subsessile; terminal lflt similar, on petiolule up to 7 mm. long. Scapes stout, pilose, up to 15 cm. or more long, bracts of one or more pairs. Heads c. 4 cm. diam. including spines; spines pale brown, sts tinged with red; bractlets ± 6 mm. long. Cupules turbinate, slightly flattened, pilose, angles thickened. Sepals about ovate-oblong, pilose below. Stamens 2, anthers white. Stigma plumose.
Stoloniferous perennial; prostrate stems c. 3 mm diam., < 1 m long; erect stems 2-3 mm diam., < 15 cm long. Lvs 2.5-12 cm long; stipules entire to 4-fid; leaflets 9-15, oblong, 6-30 × 3-13 mm, 8-20-toothed, shining green, glabrous and rugulose on upper surface, whitish and hairy on lower surface; teeth with margins recurved. Scape 7-18 cm long, pilose; capitulum c. 10 mm diam. at flowering, < 4 cm diam. (including spines) at fruiting; florets c. 80-90-(115); sepals 4; stamens 2; anthers white; style 1, white; achene 1. Fr. obconic, c. 5 × 2 mm, hairy; spines 4, red or pale brown, 10-20 mm long, barbed, frequently with stunted subsidiary spines on side of fr.
