Herbs, perennial, erect, 20-70 cm tall. Rootstock usually extensively rhizomatous, rarely a shallowly buried subglobose tuber, rhizome 3-5 mm thick, tuber to 5 cm. Stems mostly single, less often clustered, 3-7 mm thick, sometimes branched, usually mostly glabrous. Leaves alternate; stipules absent; basal scale-leaves few; petiole indistinct, short and broadly winged; leaf blade ovate-oblong to elliptic, very variable, 2-7 × 0.6-1.2 cm, leathery or almost so, base attenuate-cuneate, margin entire, apex acute or obtuse; midrib prominent on both surfaces, lateral veins not reaching margin. Primary involucral leaves 3-7(-12), light red or orange, less often yellow, long elliptic to elliptic, base attenuate, apex rounded or acuminate, primary rays 3-7, 2-4 cm; cyathophylls 2, usually red or red-purple, much varied, rounded or subtruncate at base, usually rounded or subrounded at apex. Cyathium involucre cuplike, ca. 3 × 3.5 mm, lobes rounded, white pilose at margin and inside; glands 4, brown, rounded. Male flowers many, exserted from involucre. Female flower: ovary pedicellate and extended out of cup, smooth, glabrous; styles free; style arms peltate, slightly 2-lobed. Fruiting pedicel 4-5 mm; capsule globose, ca. 4 × 4 mm, smooth, glabrous. Seeds ovoid-globose, 2.5-3 × ca. 2 mm, dark gray or gray-brown, adaxial surface light striate; caruncle peltate, extremely shortly stipitate. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
Can be grown by cuttings or divisions. Seeds needs soaking.
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