Herbs 12-15 cm tall. Petiole purple, broadly winged in outer leaves but ± unwinged in middle ones; leaf blade deep green with a purplish midvein, narrowly oblanceolate to oblanceolate, 7-9 × 2-3 cm, sparsely arachnoid, pinnatifid to pinnatisect; lateral lobes 3 or 4 pairs, ± triangular, ± recurved to hamate-recurved, proximal margin entire, distal margin convex and entire, apex acute; interlobes short and broad, margin often raised but entire; terminal lobe broadly triangular, margin entire, apex subobtuse. Scapes pale brownish green, overtopping leaves, arachnoid. Capitulum to 4.5 cm wide. Involucre 1-1.2 cm wide, base ± truncate. Outer phyllaries 17-19, abaxially dark olivaceous green to blackish green and suffused brownish purple in upper ca. 1/3, ± imbricate, ± ovate to ovate-lanceolate, outermost ones 8-9 × (3.5-)4.5-5 mm and 1/2-3/5 as long as inner ones, loosely appressed, venation slightly prominent, with whitish membranous border ca. 0.1(-0.2) mm wide, margin sparsely ciliate, apex flat; inner phyllaries 1.4-1.5 cm, apex flat. Ligules deep yellow; outer ligules ± flat, outside striped greenish pinkish gray; inner ligules with grayish purple teeth at apex; ligule tube pubescent. Stigmas greenish yellow, abaxially dark pubescent. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene light grayish olivaceous brown, 3.4-3.5 × ca. 0.9 mm; body ± densely spinulose-squamulose above, subgradually narrowing into a subconic 0.4-0.5 mm cone; beak ca. 9.5 mm. Pappus ± white, ca. 6 mm. Fl. late spring. Agamosperm.
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