Perennials, 30–70 cm; taproots and branched caudices with persistent dark-brown leaf bases. Stems 1–several, erect, simple or sparingly branched in distal 1/2, glabrous or thinly arachnoid and sparingly villous with jointed trichomes. Leaves: blades oblong to elliptic or oblanceolate, 15–30+ × 2–7 cm, deeply 2–3-pinnately divided, lobes linear to linear-lanceolate, spinulose to spiny-dentate or shallowly lobed, main spines slender, 2–8 mm, abaxial faces glabrous to thinly tomentose and villous along major veins, soon glabrescent, adaxial glabrous; basal present at flowering, narrowly spiny winged-petiolate; principal cauline well distributed, proximal winged-petiolate, mid and distal sessile, gradually reduced, bases decurrent as spiny wings 1–3 cm; distalmost reduced to spiny-pectinate bracts. Heads 1–few, erect, ± crowded in corymbiform arrays. Peduncles 0–4 cm. Involucres ovoid, 1.8–2.5 cm, 1.5–2.5 cm diam., loosely arachnoid, glabrate. Phyllaries in 5–6 series, imbricate, green, linear-lanceolate, abaxial faces without or with poorly developed glutinous ridge; outer and mid bases appressed, apices stiffly radiating to ascending, long, very narrow, entire, spines slender, 3–10 mm; apices of inner straight, flexuous. Corollas white to pink or pink-purple, 16–20 mm, tubes 6–8 mm, throats 5–6 mm, lobes 5–7 mm; style tips 3.5–4.5 mm. Cypselae brown, ca. 4 mm, apical collars not differentiated; pappi 13–17 mm.
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