Herb to 2.4 m high, scapose or almost acaulescent, ferociously spiny; stems from a massive rosette, stout, hollow, sparsely arachnoid-pubescent and crisped-setose with rather long white hairs, with interrupted spiny wings.. Leaves sessile, decurrent, spiny, pinnately lobed, oblong or oblanceolate in outline, 4–75 cm long, 2–18 cm wide, those of the rosette largest, the distal ones smallest, base petioloid, with 17–65 main lobes, oblong-ovate or triangular, alternate or opposite, with strong spines terminating the lobes and their lobules and with smaller marginal spines in between, apex of terminal lobe acuminate, more or less densely crispate-setose and/or thinly arachnoid-pubescent above, scattered-setose and/or arachnoid pubescent except on the veins beneath.. Capitula 5–10 together in dense terminal pyramidal clusters to 8 cm in diameter, subtending leaves with strong terminal spines; involucre 30–40 mm long; phyllaries many, lanceolate, 12–24 mm long, proximally ciliate and distally pectinate, apex spiny; receptacle with setae 8–9 mm long.. Florets many; corolla pinkish mauve or pale purple, tube 11–15 mm long, lobes 3–4.5 mm long.. Achenes brown or grey-brown, streaked black, shiny, 3–4 mm long, rather inflated, striate, straight or slightly curved, glabrous; pappus of many sordid bristles 14–21 mm long, united at the base and falling as a unit.
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