Biennials or monocarpic (sometimes polycarpic?) perennials, 20–150 cm; taprooted. Stems usually 1 and erect, less commonly several and ascending, simple to sparingly short-branched in distal 1/2, variably villous with jointed trichomes, and/or finely arachnoid, or ± glabrate; branches on distal stems 0–many, short, ascending. Leaves: blades linear-oblong to elliptic, 5–25 × 1–8 cm, subentire to coarsely dentate or deeply pinnatifid, lobes lance-oblong to broadly triangular, spinulose to spiny-dentate or shallowly lobed, main spines 2–10 mm, abaxial faces usually ± densely gray-or white-tomentose with felted arachnoid trichomes, ± villous to tomentose along major veins with septate trichomes, sometimes glabrous or glabrate, adaxial ± green, glabrous to thinly arachnoid, often ± villous or tomentose with septate trichomes; basal often present at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate or sessile; principal cauline well distributed, proximally winged-petiolate, distally sessile, gradually reduced, bases sometimes short-decurrent; distal ± reduced, often narrower than proximal, sometimes with non-pigmented bases, sometimes pectinately spiny. Heads 1–many, borne singly or crowded in spiciform, racemiform, subcapitate, or sometimes more openly branched corymbiform arrays. Peduncles 0–8+ cm. Involucres (green or often purplish), broadly ovoid, 2–3.3 × 1.5–4 cm, loosely to densely villous with septate trichomes to tomentose and/or arachnoid. Phyllaries in 4–8 series, imbricate to subequal, bases short-appressed, entire, abaxial faces with or without narrow glutinous ridge, apices stiffly spreading to ascending, linear, long, plane, spines straight, slender, 3–5 mm; apices of inner flexuous, sometimes expanded and erose. Corollas white, ochroleucous, or occasionally pink, 20–28 mm, tubes 10–13 mm, throats 6.5–9 mm, lobes 5–7 mm; style tips 3–5.5 mm. Cypselae dark brown, 5–6.5 mm, apical collars not differentiated; pappi 18–22 mm. 2n = 34.
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A herb. It is thistle that keeps growing from year to year. It is a tall sturdy plant and grows 30-90 cm high. The leaves are alternate and narrowly oblong. They can have lobes. They are white and woolly underneath. They are smooth above. They do not have a leaf stalk. They are 10-25 cm long. The flowers are in disks that are white or cream. The bracts are cobwebby, woolly and have spines at the tip. The flower heads can be a few or many. They are 3-4 cm across. The fruit is a dry achene.
Moist bottoms, open rocky slopes and cultivated fields. Moist soil, grasslands, aspen parkland, forest edges and openings, subalpine, alpine meadows at elevations of 600-2900 metres.
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It is a temperate plant. It grows in woods and open places.
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