Herbs 15-25 cm tall, medium-sized. Petiole dark purple, narrowly winged; leaf blade light green, linear-oblong to ± narrowly oblanceolate, 8-20 × 2-4 cm, ± subleathery, sparsely arachnoid, pinnatilobed on outer leaves to pinnatisect in middle ones, midvein usually brownish purple but distally often light green; lateral lobes (3-)5-7, triangular and distally ± abruptly narrowing into a narrow acute apex, small, subrecurved or less often ± patent, proximal margin straight and entire, distal margin sigmoid and usually entire but sometimes dentate; interlobes short and broad, margin usually entire; terminal lobe ± narrowly triangular, (1-)1.5-2.3(-3.5) × 1-1.5 cm, basal segments patent to subrecurved and apex acuminate, terminal segment with distal margin sigmoid and entire or with a few asymmetric teeth and apex acute to acuminate. Scapes light green but later brownish, often pinkish at base, overtopping leaves, arachnoid but glabrescent. Capitulum ca. 3 cm wide. Involucre 8-10 mm wide, base broadly obconic to flat. Outer phyllaries 15-19, dark olivaceous green but later adaxially often brownish purple, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, outermost ones 6-9 × 2-3 mm and 2/5-1/2 as long as inner ones, of various posture from suberect-arcuate to arcuate-recurved, paler border indistinct, margin glabrous, apex often callose; inner phyllaries 1.2-1.3 cm. Ligules deep yellow; outer ligules ± flat, outside striped purplish grayish brown; inner ligules with reddish or yellow apical teeth. Stigmas yellowish green. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene grayish straw-colored brown, 4.2-4.4 × 1-1.2 mm; body densely spinulose in upper ca. 1/3, ± abruptly narrowing into a thin ± cylindric ca. 1 mm cone, spinules ± long; beak 8-9 mm. Pappus ± white, ca. 7 mm. Fl. late spring. Agamosperm.
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