Herbs 7-18 cm tall. Petiole purplish, narrowly winged or (in inner leaves) unwinged; leaf blade mid-green, narrowly oblong, 7-15(-18) × 0.8-3.5 cm, sparsely arachnoid, pinnatisect; lateral lobes 4-6(or 7) pairs, narrowly triangular, linear-triangular, or seldom ± linear, usually 9-17 × 2.5-7 mm, recurved, proximal margin straight and usually entire, distal margin ± straight and entire or with 1-3 teeth; interlobes narrow, margin most often remotely dentate; terminal lobe narrowly triangular-sagittate or ± triangular, usually elongated, with 1 or 2 irregular lobules or incisions, apex acute. Scapes purplish green, equaling or ± overtopping leaves, sparsely arachnoid. Capitulum 3-4 cm wide. Involucre 8-10 mm wide, base ± narrowly rounded. Outer phyllaries 8-12, dark or deep green but sometimes light green or blackish green, ± not imbricate, broadly lanceolate to ovate, outermost ones (6-)7-9(-10) × 2.5-4 mm and 1/2-3/5 as long as inner ones, ± loosely appressed but later often erect-patent, venation often prominent and midvein dark, border paler, light green to whitish green but often suffused purplish, 0.3-1 mm wide, membranous, and with a gradual transition to darker middle part, margin sparsely ciliate near apex, apex ± flat in early capitula but with a thick horn in later ones; inner phyllaries 1.4-1.7 cm, apex ± flat. Ligules yellow; outer ligules flat, outside striped dark gray. Stigmas deep dirty yellow to grayish yellow. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene ± light straw-colored brown, 3.7-4.2 × 1.2-1.3 mm; body densely spinulose in upper ca. 1/3, abruptly narrowing into a conic to subcylindric 0.5-0.8 mm cone, spinules short, thin, erect-patent to sometimes patent, and acute; beak 8-9 mm, thin. Pappus yellowish white, 6-8 mm. Fl. spring. Agamosperm.
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