Perennials, subacaulescent and forming compact, rounded mounds, 5–20 cm, or ± erect and to 70(–90) cm; runner roots producing adventitious buds. Stems 1–10+, erect or ascending, glabrous to thinly gray-tomentose, sometimes villous with septate trichomes; branches 0 or few, ascending. Leaves: blades elliptic to obovate, 5–20 × 3–7 cm, strongly undulate, shallowly to deeply pinnatifid with 3–8 pairs of lobes, lobes linear-lanceolate to broadly triangular, (often longer than 2 cm), closely spaced, spreading, spinose-dentate or lobed, main spines slender to stout, 2–15 mm, abaxial faces thinly to densely tomentose, ± villous with septate trichomes along veins, glabrescent or trichomes persistent, adaxial thinly arachnoid-tomentose and soon glabrescent; basal usually present at flowering, petiolate; principal cauline petiolate, progressively reduced distally, bases sometimes decurrent as spiny wings to 1 cm; distal reduced, similar to proximal. Heads 1–few. erect, ± crowded, often closely subtended by distalmost leaves. Peduncles 0–10 cm, leafy-bracted. Involucres ovoid to hemispheric or broadly campanulate, 2.5–5 (in first-formed heads, often smaller in later heads) × 2.5–6 cm, loosely arachnoid on phyllary margins or glabrate. Phyllaries in 5–10 series, imbricate, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), margins of outer entire, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge; outer and mid appressed, spines erect or ascending, (0–)1–2(–10) mm; apices of mid and inner narrowed and scabrido-denticulate or with expanded, spinuloso-serrate or-dentate tips, spineless or spine-tipped. Corollas white or pale lavender to purple, 25–35 mm, tubes 10–20 mm, throats 7–10 mm, lobes 5–8 mm; style tips 2.5–4.5 mm. Cypselae brown, 5–6.5 mm, apical collars colored like body; pappi 20–40 mm. 2n = 32.
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