Herbs 16-22 cm tall. Petiole purplish, narrow, brownish arachnoid at base; leaf blade ± light green, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 8-14 × (0.2-)0.8-2.7 cm, arachnoid, in early flowering plants margin subentire or denticulate but in later plants pinnatisect; lateral lobes in late flowering plants 5-8 pairs, ± linear to linear-triangular, 7-13 × 1-3 mm, ± patent, margin entire, apex acute; interlobes 5-12 × ca. 2 mm, margin entire; terminal lobe lingulate-elongated, narrow, 3-partite, basal segments patent, terminal segment 2.5-4 × 0.3-0.5 cm and apex ± acute. Scapes brownish purple, ± equaling leaves, ± densely arachnoid and densely so below capitulum. Capitulum not fully opening, ca. 2 cm wide. Involucre 7-9 mm wide, base subtruncate. Outer phyllaries 12-16 and ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate in early plants, 15-25 and ± lanceolate in later flowering plants, deep green with darker apical part, ± imbricate, outermost ones 5-7 × 2.5-3.5 mm and ca. 1/2 as long as inner ones, appressed to loosely appressed, with membranous to whitish green border to 1.1 mm wide, margin glabrous and minutely sparsely denticulate, apex ± callose; inner phyllaries ca. 1 cm, apex callose or subcorniculate. Ligules pale cream yellow or pale yellowish white, deeper so at base; outer ligules canaliculate, ± erect, outside striped gray purplish; inner ligules subtubular, with reddish or cream apical teeth; ligule tube densely pubescent. Stigmas yellowish green, almost not exserted in outer florets, not exserted in inner florets, blackish pubescent outside. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene light grayish straw-colored brown, robust, 4.2-4.4 × ca. 1.2 mm; body subsparsely spinulose above, subabruptly narrowing into a subcylindric ca. 1 × 0.4 mm cone, spinules coarse, curved upward, larger on ridges, and usually 1 or 2 on cone; beak 6-7 mm. Pappus dirty white, ca. 7 mm. Fl. spring to summer. Agamosperm.
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