Leaves oblanceolate to lanceolate, 5–15 (–20) cm long, 15–30 (–60) mm wide, greyish green, glabrous; lateral lobes in 3–7 pairs, deltate, often caudate, sometimes narrow and falcate, with distal margins of upper 2 to 3 lobes entire or with 1–3 teeth or acute lobules, and proximal margins entire or with 1 acute lobule; terminal lobe relatively large, sagittate, entire to trilobulate; petiole rose-purple, sometimes narrowly winged; midrib rose-purple, at least basally. Scapes 5–18 cm long at anthesis, 10–30 cm long in fruit, woolly in bud, glabrescent at flowering including below capitulum, usually rose-purple throughout. Capitula 3.5–4.5 cm diam.; outer bracts cordate to ovate-lanceolate, 4–7 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, erect, erecto-patent to slightly recurved, white-bordered (0.3–0.5 mm wide), marginally ciliolate or rarely smooth, apiculate, with tips thickened to minutely callose; innermost bracts linear, 10–15 (–20) mm long, 1–2 mm wide, usually minutely callus-tipped. Outer florets with ligule flat, exceeding involucre by 5–10 mm; anthers with pollen; stigmas greenish yellow. Achenes broadly fusiform, 3–5 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, with prominent broad scale-like spines apically, smooth in lower 1/3 at least, light pinkish brown to grey; cone cylindrical, sporadically also conical, (0.5–) 0.8–1.0 mm long; beak 6–7 mm long. Pappus 5–7 mm long, white.
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