Perennial herb with sparsely branched or unbranched annual shoots from a ± horizontal rootstock 3–4 mm in diameter; shoots several, subwoody or herbaceous, to 90 cm high; stems terete, to 3 mm in diameter, sparsely to densely appressed pubescent.. Leaves grey-green, pinnatifid, in outline broadly obovate, 1–5 cm long, 0.2–3 cm wide, sessile, deeply lobed with up to 5 lobes on each side plus a terminal lobe, the lobes lanceolate, up to 2 cm long, 0.4 cm wide, with inrolled margins and acute apex, occasionally the lobes themselves lobed, thinly to densely pubescent on both surfaces, but especially beneath.. Capitula 4–6 mm long, in terminal corymbs, composed of axillary branches ending in terminal capitula and truly terminal capitula, with up to 6 capitula per branch, the individual capitula 3–8 mm in diameter; stalks of individual capitula 3–63 mm long, densely pubescent, occasionally with a single bract resembling the phyllaries; phyllaries many (50+), grey, subequal, appressed, lanceolate or narrowly triangular, 2–3 mm long, 0.3–0.8 mm wide, acute, pubescent except for the apex which is scarious but has ragged or ciliate margins; receptacle conical, rough with floret bases.. Florets yellow; outer florets few, with a tube ± 1 mm long and 3–4 lobes ± 0.3 mm long; style ± 1.5 mm with conical base and truncate branches, or the whole flower sometimes filiform; inner florets many (50+) with the tube 1–1.7 mm long, the lobes 4, 0.2–0.5 mm long; anthers included, 0.8–1 mm long, briefly sagittate at the base, with a small ovate or elliptic distal appendage; style 1.3–2 mm with conical base and truncate arms.. Achenes of outer florets dorsiventrally flattened, slightly curved, slightly winged, 1.5–1.6 mm long, 0.8–0.9 mm wide, 0.2–0.3 mm thick; achenes of inner florets similar but angled rather than winged and less flattened.. Fig. 111 (page 527).
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