Herb to 0.6 m high. Stems densely pilose with arachnoid hairs; wings 1–2.5 mm wide, spinose. Leaf lamina grey-green above with arachnoid hairs, densely white-tomentose below; sessile glands absent; marginal spines 6–13 mm long, yellow or golden. Capitula 1–3 at ends of 5–20 cm long side-branches; involucre ovoid to cylindrical, 6–12 mm diam. at anthesis; median involucral bracts erect, narrowly oblong, 9–13 mm long, 1.2–2 mm wide at base, densely arachnoid dorsally, with a pectinate-spinose apical appendage 3–7 mm long. Corolla tube 10–12 mm long; lobes 3–5 mm long. Anthers 5–6 mm long. Achenes 4.5–5.6 mm long, brown. Pappus bristles 95–105, 13–17 mm long.
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