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Fls all ligulate and perfect, yellow, mostly numerous; invol bracts biseriate, the outer usually shorter than the inner and often reflexed; achenes columnar or thickly fusiform, terete or 4–5-angled, longitudinally sulcate or ribbed, ordinarily muricate or tuberculate at least above, commonly topped by a smooth, conic or pyramidal cusp that tapers to a slender beak, or rarely beakless; pappus of numerous white capillary bristles; taprooted, lactiferous, perennial, scapose herbs, the lvs all basal and rosulate, entire to pinnatifid or subbipinnatifid. 60, mostly N. Temp. Spp. confluent through polyploidy and apomixis. Taxonomy and nomenclature in utter confusion. We here define spp. broadly and follow traditional nomenclature.
Perennial herbs with a rosette of leaves and a solitary capitulum on a leafless, hollow scape. Leaves usually pinnatilobed. Capitula with phyllaries in two unequal rows. Corolla yellow, rarely whitish. Achenes fusiform, with a long beak; pappus of barbellate bristles.
Achenes fusiform-oblanceolate, many-ribbed, narrowed and shortly conical above before tapering ± abruptly into a slender stalk-like beak (rostrum), beaks rarely absent, the ribs antrorsely muricate or echinate above.
Involucres oblong-campanulate; phyllaries 2-seriate, the inner series erect, the outer series shorter and spreading or recurved.
Anthers sagittate at the base with shortly setaceous-acuminate auricles.
Pappus many-seriate consisting of numerous slender, unequal setae.
Scapes 1-many, simple, hollow; capitula large solitary terminal.
Leaves radical, rosulate, entire, sinuate-dentate or runcinate.
Perennial scapigerous herbs with simple or branched taproots.
Style branches long slender, sweeping hairs long.
Receptacle ± flat, epaleate, pitted.
Corollas yellow (white), ligulate.
