Herbs to 1.2 m tall, ?perennial. Stems branched above, ribbed, unwinged, with long sparse multicellular hairs. Leaves concolorous, green, surface smooth, glabrous or abaxially with sparse long multicellular hairs. Basal leaves present at anthesis. Lower cauline leaves petiolate; petiole 2.5-4 cm, with expanded semiamplexicaul base and spiny wings; leaf blade lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, ca. 16 × 7-10 cm, subpinnatisect; segments 6 or 7 pairs, elliptic, fringed with spinules, ca. 0.5 mm cilia, and a few triangular teeth with a ca. 2 mm apical spinule. Middle and upper cauline leaves similar but sessile, gradually smaller upward, semiamplexicaul. Bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, toothed, teeth with an apical spine to 6 mm. Capitula few, terminal on long branches, nodding. Involucre broadly campanulate, ca. 4.5 cm in diam., glabrous or sparsely cobwebby. Phyllaries in ca. 7 rows, lacking marginal spinules, wings, and scarious appendage; outer and middle phyllaries triangular-lanceolate to lanceolate, 6-15 × 1.5-3 mm, abaxially with a dark resinous gland, margin sparsely ciliate, apex acute and tipped with a 0.5-1 mm spinule; inner and innermost phyllaries linear to broadly linear, ca. 2.4 × 0.2-0.3 cm, apex acuminate. Florets bisexual. Corolla red, ca. 2.1 cm, tube ca. 6 mm. Achene ca. 3.5 mm, many ribbed. Pappus bristles brown, ca. 2 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul.
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