Perennials, 10–150 cm; taprooted caudices. Stems 1–several, (fleshy), erect or ascending, simple to sparingly branched in distal 1/2, sometimes openly branched, glabrous to villous or tomentose with septate trichomes, sometimes ± glabrate; branches on distal stems 0–many, ascending. Leaves: blades oblong, 10–30 × 1–5 cm, margins usually strongly undulate, unlobed and spiny-dentate or shallowly to deeply pinnatifid with 10–20 pairs of lobes, teeth or lobes closely spaced, often overlapping, lance-oblong to broadly triangular, deeply 3-lobed, ± spiny-dentate, main spines 2–12 mm, abaxial faces glabrous or villous with septate trichomes along midveins to densely arachnoid-tomentose, adaxial glabrous or villous with septate trichomes along midveins; basal often present at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate or sessile; principal cauline many, well distributed, proximally ± winged-petiolate, distally sessile, gradually reduced; distal not much reduced, often closely subtending heads. Heads 1–many, erect or nodding, closely subtended by spiny-fringed bracts, usually sessile or short-pedunculate and crowded in subcapitate, spiciform, or racemiform (less commonly in openly branched) arrays. Peduncles 0–14+ cm. Involucres green or suffused with dark purple, broadly ovoid to campanulate, 2–5 × 1.5–5 cm (appearing wider when pressed), loosely to densely villous or tomentose with septate trichomes and/or arachnoid-tomentose with finer, non-septate trichomes. Phyllaries in 4–5 series, subequal, bases short-appressed, abaxial faces without or with very narrow glutinous ridge, apices usually stiffly ascending to spreading, linear-acicular, tapering to spines 7–35 mm; outer usually pinnately spiny, sometimes entire; apices of inner straight, plane or spine-tipped. Corollas ochroleucous or yellow to lavender, pink, or purple, 15–35 mm, tubes 3.5–10 mm, throats 5–14 mm, lobes (linear), 4–12.5 mm; style tips 3–6 mm, conspicuously exserted beyond corolla lobes. Cypselae dark brown, 5.5–7 mm, apical collars stramineous or not differentiated; pappi 12–25 mm.
Rocky slopes, canyons, pinyon-juniper woodlands to alpine, montane coniferous forests, subalpine forests and, alpine slopes; at elevations from 2,100-3,500 metres.
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