Herbs, rhizomatous. Rhizome thick, woody. Stem solitary, erect, 70-150 cm tall, leafless in lower part, leafy above, branching in synflorescence, densely white tomentose, subglabrescent. Leaf petiole 1-3.5 cm, stout, densely white tomentose and brownish setulose; blade ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, to 23 × 7.5 cm, membranous, abaxially densely white tomentose, adaxially minutely fulvous pubescent especially on veins and sometimes at first also thinly floccose-tomentose, pinnately veined, lateral veins 16-24, arcuate-ascending and intramarginally uniting, base rounded to obtuse, margin rather closely to remotely apiculate-dentate, apex long acuminate, apiculate. Upper leaves and leaves of branches shortly petiolate, gradually smaller. Capitula minutely radiate, rather numerous, arranged in rounded 2-13-headed rather dense to lax axillary and terminal corymbs; peduncles 0.5-2 cm, densely tomentose, basally bracteate, with a few linear or linear-filiform 4-8 mm bracteoles. Involucres cylindric-campanulate, 6-8 × 2.5-3.5 mm, calyculate; bracts of calyculus 3 or 4, purplish, linear, to 1/2 as long as phyllaries; phyllaries 5 or 8, oblong-lanceolate, 1-1.5 mm wide, herbaceous, sparsely arachnoid-tomentose, margin broadly scarious, apically acute to subobtuse-acuminate, puberulent and usually purplish. Ray florets 5; corolla tube ca. 4 mm; lamina yellow, ovate-oblong, small, usually shorter than style, apically 3-denticulate. Disk florets 5-10; corolla yellow, 9-10 mm, with ca. 3 mm tube and narrowly funnelform limb; lobes lanceolate, ca. 1 mm, apically acute. Anthers ca. 2.5 mm; anther tails exceeding antheropodia; appendages lanceolate; antheropodia slightly dilated at base. Style branches ca. 0.7 mm, fringed with rather short papillae, apical tuft distinct, much longer than laterals. Achenes ca. 2.5 mm, glabrous. Pappus white, 9-10 mm. Fl. and fr. Sep-Dec.