Rosulate annual.. Leaves linear-lanceolate to narrowly linear, 3–11 cm. long, 1.5–3 mm. wide, dark green, spongy, tip acuminate to filiform.. Scapes up to 15, 9–15 cm. high, 5-ribbed, the ribs prominent and sharply angled; sheaths as long as the leaves, the limb acute, soon splitting.. Capitulum hemispherical to slightly dome-shaped, 4–5 mm. diameter, blackish with pale involucral bracts, the narrow floral bracts and sepals intermingling; involucral bracts conspicuous, pallid, as wide as the capitulum and spreading in several series, narrowly lanceolate-oblong, 2.4–2.5 mm. long, scarious, acute, not reflexing; floral bracts dark grey, narrowly oblong, concave round the flowers, tip acute with denticulate margins; receptacle cylindrical, villous; flowers much reduced, glabrous.. Male flowers 1.5 mm. long: sepals 2, free, blackish, oblanceolate-oblong, falcate, upper margins denticulate to incised, tip finely acute; petals absent; anthers black, 6 or often one or two aborted.. Female flowers 2.0 mm. long: sepals 2, blackish, linear-falcate, lightly keeled, upper margins denticulate, tip finely acute; petals absent; ovary trilocular, raised on a slender stipe 0.5 mm. long, position of petals indicated by a node on the stipe.. Seeds 0.4 mm. long, clear yellow, glossy, faintly reticulate and minutely papillose.. Fig. 1/5–8; fig. 4/3.
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