Herbs 10-15 cm tall. Petiole purple, unwinged; leaf blade light grayish green often suffused purplish, linear to ± oblong-linear, 5-10 × 0.7-1.6 cm, sparsely arachnoid, usually pinnatilobed to pinnatisect; lateral lobes or teeth 3-5 pairs, ± linear-triangular, slightly pointing upward or patent, margin entire; interlobes ± broad, margin entire; terminal lobe triangular to narrowly triangular, margin entire, basal segments usually obtuse and ± patent. Scapes purplish green, equaling leaves, arachnoid. Capitulum 2.5-3 cm wide. Involucre 9-10 mm wide, base narrowly rounded. Outer phyllaries usually 11-15, ± not imbricate, narrowly lanceolate to ± linear-lanceolate, outermost ones 7-10 × 1.5-2.5 mm and ca. 2/3 as long as inner ones, appressed to ± loosely appressed or erect, middle part blackish green, border evident, paler, greenish white or white often suffused purplish near apex, and ca. 0.5 mm wide, margin ciliate, apex with large blackish purple horn; inner phyllaries 1.3-1.6 cm, apex purple and with a large blackish horn below it. Ligules yellow; outer ligules ± flat, outside striped blackish purple; inner ligules with ± yellow long apical teeth. Stigmas grayish green. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene straw-colored brown to slightly ochraceous straw-colored brown when fully ripe, ± laterally compressed, 4-4.5 × 1.3-1.5 mm; body densely spinulose throughout but particularly on ridges, subabruptly to ± abruptly narrowing into a thick ± cylindric 1-1.2 × ca. 0.4 mm cone, spinules crowded and erect to bent upward; beak 7-8 mm. Pappus pale yellowish white, 6-7 mm. Fl. summer. Agamosperm.
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