Herbs 16-20 cm tall. Petiole grayish purple, unwinged; leaf blade slightly grayish green, often suffused brownish, and with a purplish brown midvein, ± narrowly oblanceolate, 12-18 × 2-3.5 cm, subglabrous, pinnatisect; lateral lobes 3 or 4(or 5) pairs, narrowly deltoid to hamate, patent with recurved distal part 0.8-1.5 cm, proximal margin entire, distal margin convex to sigmoid and with 1-3 distinct teeth, apex acute; interlobes brownish purple spotted, to 10 × 4 mm, margin usually entire; terminal lobe helmet-shaped to lingulate, 2-3.5 × 1.5-2.5 cm, distal margin concave and subentire or with asymmetric incisions. Scapes purplish at base, brown-purple below capitulum, and otherwise light green, ± equaling leaves, sparsely arachnoid. Capitulum ca. 2.5 cm wide. Involucre 8-10 mm wide, base rounded. Outer phyllaries 14-17, light green suffused purplish at apex, subimbricate, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, outermost ones 7-8.5 × 3-5.5 mm and ca. 2/3 as long as inner ones, loosely appressed to irregularly erect-patent, venation visible, border 0.2-0.4 mm wide and membranous, margin sparsely ciliate, apex flat or callose; inner phyllaries 1.1-1.2 cm. Ligules yellow; outer ligules ± flat, outside striped purplish grayish brown; inner ligules with purplish teeth at apex; ligule tube pubescent. Stigmas yellowish green, abaxially blackish pubescent. Anthers without pollen or pollen sparsely developed; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene light grayish olivaceous brown, 4.4-4.5 × 0.9-1.1 mm; body ± winged with prominent lateral ridges, densely spinulose above and conspicuously so on ridges, subgradually narrowing into a subcylindric 0.9-1.1 mm cone; beak 8-9 mm. Pappus white, ca. 7 mm. Fl. late spring. Agamosperm.
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