Perennial herb, erect, 0.6–1.2 m high, ferociously spiny; stems leafy throughout, densely glandular, greenish or straw-coloured, white-araneose but rapidly glabrescent.. Leaves spiny, deeply pinnatisect to bipinnatisect or bipinnatipartite, the proximal obovate, the distal ovate, 3–30 cm long, 1–20 cm wide, with 3–10 pairs of lobes, the segments linear to lanceolate and with 3–5 pairs of lateral lobes, base semi-amplexicaul, margins with scattered spines, lobes and lobules strongly spine-tipped, green or yellow-green above, shortly glandular, white-or grey-tomentose beneath except for midrib and main veins.. Capitula 21–26 mm long, in terminal globose synflorescences 5–7 cm in diameter, with a few strongly reflexed setae and bracts at the base; phyllaries lanceolate, 9–23 mm long, scattered-glandular, attenuate and plumose.. Corolla white, tube 4.5–7 mm long, glandular, lobes 6–8.5 mm long, anthers purplish.. Achenes obconic-cylindric, ± 8 mm long, densely ascending-pilose; pappus of scales 0.5–1.5 mm long.
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