Rhizomes ascending or procumbent, 5-15 mm in diam., with numerous fibrous roots. Stem solitary, erect, green or purple tinged, 50-150 cm tall, sulcate, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. Leaves densely crowded; lower leaves 1 or 2, long petiolate, reniform, smaller, withered by anthesis. Median stem leaves 3 or 4; petiole 1/4-1/2 as long as blade, ± winged, basally expanded into a 1.5-2 cm wide auricle, subamplexicaul; leaf blade abaxially gray-green, adaxially dark green, narrowly reniform, rarely triangular-reniform, 7-15 × 12-24 cm, both surfaces glabrous, basally 3-veined, divaricately branched near base, veins prominent abaxially, base cordate or subhastate, margin unequally undulate-toothed, teeth mucronulate, apex contracted into acute large teeth, with 2 rarely similar acute teeth. Upper leaves 1 or 2, triangular or triangular-reniform, very small, base truncate or cuneate, margin usually 3-toothed or nearly so, or nearly 3-lobed. Capitula numerous, laxly or densely narrowly paniculate at apices of stems, branched in upper or middle part; branches racemose, (1.5-)2-7 cm; lower branches ascending, to 10 cm, distinctly shorter than rachis; bracteal leaves lanceolate-linear, 8-20 mm; uppermost leaves setose, lower leaves same as upper stem leaves; capitula pendulous at anthesis; peduncles 3-8 mm, slender, puberulent, with 2-4 setose bractlets. Involucres cylindric; phyllaries 5, green or reddish, narrowly linear, (6-)8-12 × 1-1.5 mm, slightly shorter than corolla, apex rather acute or obtuse. Florets 5-8; corolla 8-9 mm, with 3-5 mm tube and campanulate-tubular limb; lobes lanceolate. Anthers exserted from corolla, basally caudate. Style branches truncate, papillose. Achenes brownish, cylindric, ca. 6 mm, glabrous, ribbed. Pappus white, 7-8 mm. Fl. Aug, fr. Sep-Oct.
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