Herbs 10-25 cm tall. Petiole pinkish purple, winged; leaf blade deep green with a light green midvein sometimes pinkish near base, ± oblong-oblanceolate, 7-18 × 3-4 cm, sparsely arachnoid to subglabrous, ± pinnatisect; lateral lobes 3-5 pairs, ± triangular, relatively broad, usually hamate-recurved, distal margin convex and usually entire or seldom denticulate; interlobes short but proximal ones longer, margin entire or denticulate, often with a raised dark border; terminal lobe ± helmet-shaped or almost rounded, base often cordate, proximal margin ± straight or sigmoid, distal margin convex and ± entire, apex subobtuse to obtuse and mucronate. Scape light green but later brownish purple, ± arachnoid. Capitulum 3.5-5 cm wide. Involucre base ± rounded. Outer phyllaries 14-18, regularly arranged, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, (10-)11-13(-14) × 2.3-3.5 mm, arcuate-recurved, abaxially dark green and often suffused purplish brown, adaxially grayish green, ± unbordered. Ligules deep yellow; outer ligules flat, outside striped light grayish brownish purple. Stigmas dark grayish green to almost blackish. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains variable in size. Achene grayish straw-colored brown, (3.4-)3.8-4.3 mm, ± densely spinulose in upper ca. 1/4, ± abruptly narrowing into a ± conic 0.5-0.6 mm cone; beak 1-1.1 cm. Pappus ± white, ca. 6 mm. Fl. spring. Agamosperm. 2n = 24.
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