Herbs 0.5-1.5[-1.8] m tall, perennial. Stem glabrous or more rarely glandular hairy. Basal leaves withered at anthesis. Lower and middle stem leaves with petiole 3-7 cm, unwinged; leaf blade undivided and triangular-ovate to lanceolate or ± lyrately pinnatifid to ± lyrately pinnatisect, glabrous, base cordate, truncate, or cuneate, margin ± sinuate and mucronulately dentate; lateral lobes 1 or 2(or 3) pairs, sometimes alternate or unpaired, ovate to irregularly rhombic, 1-11 × 1-7 cm, smaller toward leaf base, apex rounded to acute; terminal lobe broadly triangular to broadly lanceolate, 5.5-15 × 5.5-15 cm, base hastate, cordate, truncate, or cuneate, margin often coarsely sinuate, apex acute. Upper stem leaves sessile or with a shorter winged petiole, smaller, less or not divided. Synflorescence narrowly paniculiform, with many capitula. Capitula with usually 10-15 florets. Involucre 9-11 × ca. 3 mm. Outer phyllaries ovate to lanceolate, longest ca. 4 × 1 mm, apex acute; inner phyllaries ± 8, apex obtuse to rounded. Florets purplish. Achene 4-5 mm, attenuate into a ca. 1 mm beaklike apex. Pappus 7-8 mm. Fl. and fr. May-Aug. 2n = 18*.
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