Herbs 15-20 cm tall. Petiole light purplish green, broadly winged in outer leaves but narrowly winged in middle ones; leaf blade light grayish green with a faintly brownish purple midvein, broadly oblanceolate to oblanceolate, 9-12 × 2-3 cm, sparsely arachnoid, pinnatisect to runcinate-pinnatisect; lateral lobes (3 or)4 or 5 pairs, ± triangular to ± deltoid-triangular, subrecurved, proximal margin straight to slightly concave and entire, distal margin convex and entire or with a few acute teeth, apex acute to sometimes ± obtuse; interlobes usually spotted purplish brown, short, margin often raised and entire; terminal lobe usually helmet-shaped, 2.5-4 × 2.5-3 cm, margin ± entire and often with 1 or 2 incisions, apex subacute. Scapes green but pinkish at base, ± overtopping leaves, usually sparsely arachnoid to glabrescent. Capitulum 3-3.5 cm wide. Involucre ca. 1 cm wide, base ± truncate. Outer phyllaries 14-17, abaxially dark (blackish) olivaceous green and wholly suffused brownish purple, ± imbricate, broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, outermost 8-9 × 3.5-4.5 mm and ca. 2/3 as long as inner ones, loosely appressed, paler border ± not developed or with membranous ca. 0.1 mm border, margin subglabrous or sparsely ciliate, apex ± flat; inner phyllaries ca. 1.3 cm, apex flat. Ligules deep yellow; outer ligules ± flat, outside striped purplish gray; inner ligules with purplish teeth at apex; ligule tube pubescent. Stigmas light greenish yellow, outside dark pubescent. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene light grayish olivaceous brown, 4.3-4.5 × ca. 1 mm; body ± densely spinulose-squamulose above, ± abruptly narrowing into a ± thin conic (0.9-)1-1.1 mm cone; beak 9.5-10.5 mm. Pappus white, 6-7 mm. Fl. late spring. Agamosperm.
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