Perennial scapose or occasionally escapose herb occurring in dense mats; roots many, thick and almost tuberous, rootstock 1–2 cm diameter at ground level; rosettes variably arachnose at base.. Leaves petiolate, dark shiny green, ± fleshy, ovate or lanceolate to obovate, rhombic or suborbicular, 2–13 cm long, 1–7.5 cm wide, base cuneate, rounded or cordate, entire to crenate with a few minute spines, or bi–tri-crenate with spinescent teeth, or shallowly irregularly dentate, bidentate, serrate or very deeply toothed (almost lobed), apex ± acute, obtuse or rounded, glabrous to densely hairy and/or arachnose above, densely arachnose and felted beneath; petiole pinkish, somewhat flattened, slightly winged, 1–11 cm long with clasping base sometimes widening to 8 mm.. Scapes several to a rosette, pinkish, leafless, slender, erect to 13 cm, swollen or not beneath the solitary capitulum, felted.. Capitula 1.5–5 cm diameter; involucre 2–3(–4)-seriate; phyllaries linear to narrowly ovate or obovate, 4–12 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, with scarious margins, sparsely to densely hairy; receptacle 3–4 mm diameter, a somewhat hollowed shallow dome with or without erose scales.. Ray florets 8–16, yellow, spreading, ovate, elliptic or obovate, tubular for approximately 1/9 or more the length of the floret, 1–2.4 cm long, 2–6 mm wide, entire or with 1–3(–4) apical teeth and 4–5(–8) veins, glabrous or with scattered multicellular hairs on outer surface.. Disc florets(11–)20–40 per capitulum, yellow, urn-shaped, 3.5–7 mm long, divided into reflexed or spreading lobes for 1/3 of their length, glabrous.. Achenes not embedded in receptacle, turbinate or oblong, 3–4-costate, at least 3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, smooth with minute wrinkles, glabrous; pappus uniseriate, scales 0.5–1 mm long, free in ray florets, partially united in disc florets, 12–15 partite, erect, awl-shaped, ovate, long-acuminate, laciniate, glabrous.. Fig. 57.
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