Biennials, 40–290 cm; taprooted. Stems usually 1, erect, thinly gray-tomentose, sometimes ± glabrate; branches few–many, usually from above middle, ascending. Leaves: blades oblong–elliptic to oblanceolate, 6–35 × 1.5–7 cm, shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes usually rigidly spreading, undivided or with 1–2 pairs of coarse teeth or lobes, main spines 5–15 mm, faces gray-tomentose, sometimes glabrate; basal often present at flowering, winged-petiolate or sessile, bases tapered, spiny-winged; principal cauline sessile, much reduced distally, bases decurrent as spiny wings less than 5 cm; distal much reduced, ± bractlike, sometimes scarcely more than a cluster of long spines. Heads 1–6 (many on large individuals), borne singly or in corymbiform arrays. Peduncles (2.5–)5–30 cm, bracted. Involucres shallowly hemispheric or campanulate, 2–3 × 2.5–5 cm, arachnoid to ± loosely tomentose, sometimes glabrous. Phyllaries in 7–10 series, imbricate to subequal, linear to narrowly lanceolate, abaxial faces with narrow or no glutinous ridge; outer and mid bodies appressed, entire or minutely spinulose, apices deflexed to spreading or ascending, long, flat, spines spreading to reflexed, 4–15 mm; apices of inner erect, often flexuous, flat. Corollas white to pale lavender or pink, 18–27 mm, tubes 8–14 mm, throats 4–7 mm, lobes 5–9 mm; style tips 4–5 mm. Cypselae dark brown, 5–6 mm, apical collars not differentiated; pappi 15–20 mm. 2n = 30 (as C. utahense), 32; 30 + 1 I.
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