Herbs, perennial, erect, 50-80 cm tall. Rootstock woody, dark brown, 10-15 cm × 6-11 mm thick, with fleshy roots to 8 mm thick, remains of old stems prominent. Stems single or in small clusters, 4-6 mm thick, a little branched toward apex, glabrous or sparsely pilose [or densely white hirsute]; sterile branches absent. Leaves alternate; stipules absent; basal scale-leaves many, overlapping; petiole almost absent; leaf blade elliptic or oblong, sometimes shorter than internodes, (1.5-)3-5(-6) × (0.6-)1-1.5(-2.2) cm, base cuneate, margin entire [or obscurely serrate], apex obtuse; midrib prominent abaxially, lateral veins inconspicuous. Inflorescence a terminal compound pseudumbel, with 2-8 slender, often abortive, pseudumbels from subterminal axils; primary involucral leaves 4-8, ovate, 1.5-2.2(-4.3) × (0.8-)1-1.3(-2.7) cm, margin minutely serrulate, base rounded or broadly cuneate to subtruncate, apex subacute, primary rays [0.3-0.9 cm or] 5.5-6 cm; secondary involucral leaves 3, rhombic-ovate or subrounded, 1-1.2 × 1-1.2 cm; cyathophylls 2, rhombic-ovate, ca. 10 × 9 mm, base ± rounded, apex rounded. Cyathium subsessile; involucre campanulate, ca. 2.5 × 2-3 mm, exterior glabrous, interior sparsely hairy, lobes obtuse-rounded, repand or shallowly emarginate, glabrous; glands 4, dark brown, narrowly transversely elliptic, entire. Bracteoles absent. Male flowers many, slightly exserted from involucre. Female flower: ovary shortly exserted from cup, densely tuberculate; styles connate for less than 1/4 length; style arms shortly 2-lobed, slightly enlarged. Capsule trigonous-globose, ca. 3 × 3-4 mm, longitudinally furrowed, sparsely tuberculate or cristate along angles. Seeds broadly ellipsoid, 1.5-2 × ca. 1.5 mm, yellow-brown [becoming black], shiny; caruncle peltate, yellowish, subsessile. Fl. May-Jun.
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