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Achenes dark-brown, c. 4.5 mm. long including a distinct 1 mm. long beak, c. 1.25 mm. wide, fusiform, 3–4-angled, 1-several-ribbed between the angles, minutely hispidulous; beak slender, discolorous; pappus several-seriate of white barbellate setae c. 5 mm. long.
Corollas 10–12.5 mm. long, blue to purplish; tube c. 5 mm. long, narrowly cylindric, sparsely setulose about the outside of the throat; ligule c. 6.5 mm. long, oblanceolate-lorate, lobes c. 1 mm. long, apically papillose.
A herb. It grows 2 m tall. It has a taproot with several thick fleshy side roots. The stems are 1.5 cm across. The lowest leaves are 32 cm long by 12 cm wide. The leaves get smaller in size up the stem.
Phyllaries 4–5-seriate, purplish, glabrous, ciliolate above; the outermost c. 1.5 mm. long, ovate; the innermost up to c. 12 mm. long, lorate-lanceolate, obtuse to acute.
Capitula numerous stalked; involucres 6–8 mm. long at time of flowering, increasing to c. 12 mm. in fruiting capitula, cylindric to very narrowly campanulate.
Synflorescence elongate-paniculate; branches short, patent and much thinner than the stem axis, sparsely glandular setulose, bracteate; bracts foliaceous.
Stem solitary simple up to c. 1.5 cm. in diam., striately ribbed hollow glaucous, sparsely setose below, glabrous above.
Yellow or white florets in rather small heads in a wide diffuse panicle.
Does not occur in our area, contrary to distribution data in F.W.T.A
An erect long-lived giant annual herb, up to 3(3.5) m. tall.
Taproot with several thick ± fleshy lateral roots.
An erect herb up to about 6 ft. high
Florets c. 10 per capitulum.
