Annual herb, erect, 1–2 m high; stem solitary, branching in the distal part of the plant, glabrous.. Leaves cauline, sessile, oblanceolate to broadly elliptic, pinnatilobed with spreading lobes, 6–20 cm long, 2–10 cm wide, base subauriculate, lobes deltoid, to 4 cm long, margins dentate, apex obtuse and apiculate, glabrous.. Capitula many, subsessile in large, lax panicles with long side branches; stalks of individual capitula 1–10 mm, sometimes pilose; involucre 10–12 mm long, conical-cylindric to spreading; phyllaries green, tinged with brown, ovate (outer) to lanceolate (inner), 1.5–12 mm, the outer extending down the stalk, acute, margins not or hardly hyaline, glabrous or minutely ciliate at the very apex.. Corolla yellow, tube 4–5.5 mm long, distally pilose, ligule 5 mm long.. Achenes grey, fusiform, 2.5–3 mm long, with 4 main ribs and 8 thinner ones, all muricate, the apex slightly narrowed; pappus white, 7–8 mm long, of mixed setae and downy hairs.
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A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 150 cm tall. The stems are erect and often woody at the base. The leaves at the base are in a ring and along the stem are alternate. They are narrowly oval or spoon shaped and 4-20 cm long by 1-9 cm wide. They can have lobes along the side. The lower leaves taper at the base. The flowers are 12-22 in a flower head. The fruit is 3-5 mm long. It has a slight beak and white pappus hairs.
A tropical plant. It grows in savannah and arid places. It does best between 600-1,000 m but will grow to 1,700 m altitude. It is best in slightly humid conditions but needs full sun. It cannot tolerate shade. It has a low water requirement.
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Fields, fallows and abandoned areas. Frequently found in disturbed localities in open savannah, it is also occasionally recorded from undisturbed localities in grassland with scattered trees at elevations from 1,300-1,700 metres.
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