Decumbent or rarely erect annual herb, 3-25 cm high, basally branched, sometimes branched also in the distal part of shoots, rarely unbranched. Stems reddish; densely, patently hispid. Basal leaves 20-105(-120) x (1-)3-10 mm, cauline leaves (5-)8-32 x (0.5-)2-11 mm, gradually smaller distally, narrowly obovate-obovate, entire or pinnatifid, lobes incised to c. ? of the width, adaxially densely hispid. Capitula c. 10-20 or 30-45 mm in diameter. Involucre at first campanulate, becoming lignified and urceolate with age, free parts of the phyllaries cover the entire involucre. Phyllaries (15-)20 or 35-45, flexible, green or green and reddish, whitish hispid, erecto-patent, outermost phyllaries c. 3-6 x 0.5-0.8 mm, narrowly triangular, gradually broader triangular towards centre, innermost phyllaries c. 4-10 x 1.3-2 mm, triangular, acuminate, sometimes becoming patent after anthesis. Ray florets 5(-6) or (7-)8(-9), (6-)8-18(-20) x (1.5-)2-4(-5) mm, longer than phyllaries, narrowly elliptic, 4-lobed, adaxially yellow or rarely orange, rarely with black base, (not raised spot), abaxially completely green or rarely yellow, or with a median green stripe, occasionally with longitudinally striate hairs and glandular hairs abaxially. Disc florets 8-10 or 15-25, yellow, rarely orange; peripheral florets hermaphroditic, central florets functionally male, corolla occasionally with longitudinally striate hairs and glandular hairs. Style more or less bifurcate (less so towards centre). Cypsela c. 2-4 mm long, asymmetrically pyriform, adaxially flattened, not ribbed, basally glabrous, ¾ distally villous, twin hairs twisted, occasionally with few, small, globose glands. Pappus a c. 0.5 mm, fringed crown.
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