Herbs 10-70 cm tall, perennial, rosulate. Taproot strong, woody. Caudex woody, branching with age, with residues of old leaf bases. Stems solitary or few, erect, usually branching in upper half, leafy; branches ascending-erect. Rosette leaves numerous; petiole 3-9 cm, adaxially long brown tomentose, base ± expanded; leaf blade narrowly elliptic, 7-17 × 2-5 cm, pinnatisect to pinnatipartite; lateral lobes 6-12 pairs, opposite to alternate, very variable, narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or linear, undivided or sparsely divided with linear segments, apex acute; terminal lobe similar to lateral ones. Stem leaves similar to rosette leaves but gradually smaller and less or not divided upward on stem. Synflorescence corymbiform or paniculiform-corymbiform, with some capitula. Capitula with 10-15 florets. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 8-11 mm. Phyllaries dark green, abaxially sparsely curled pilose or rarely glabrous, frequently crested or corniculate below apex, apex acute; outer phyllaries few, narrowly ovate, longest 1/3-1/2 as long as inner ones, apex acute; inner phyllaries 8. Achene black to blackish, fusiform, 4-6 mm, with 10-12 ribs, shortly and rather inconspicuously scabrid, apex attenuate to weakly beaked. Pappus white, 4-6 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep. 2n = 10.
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