Herbs 15-80 cm tall, perennial, rosulate, with shoot-bearing roots. Caudex with residues of old leaf bases. Stem solitary, erect, branched from middle third or higher, glabrous, distantly leafy. Rosette leaves distinctly dimorphic, to 6(-10) × 2(-3) cm, glabrous, base with a sometimes brown lanate petiole-like portion. Early leaves broadly ovate, undivided and coarsely sinuate-dentate to pinnatifid, base contracted into a petiole-like portion; lateral lobes 1-6 pairs, triangular, apex acute; terminal lobe large, apex acute. Later leaves oblanceolate, elliptic, or lanceolate, pinnatipartite to pinnatisect, base attenuate into a petiole-like portion; lateral lobes 4-6 pairs, narrowly lanceolate to linear, margin basally often with large teeth, apex acute; terminal lobe narrowly lanceolate to linear, apex acute. Lower and middle stem leaves few, lanceolate, pinnatisect, similar to latest rosette leaves. Synflorescence laxly corymbiform, with few to many capitula. Capitula with 7-10 florets; peduncle capillaceous, usually 1-4 cm. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 7-9 mm. Phyllaries abaxially glabrous; outer phyllaries ovate, longest to 2.5 mm, apex obtuse; inner phyllaries 7 or 8, adaxially sparsely pubescent with appressed hairs, midvein subapically plane, margin white scarious, apex acute to obtuse. Anther tube green. Style branches yellow upon drying. Achene pale brown, subfusiform to columnar, 3-3.5 mm, ribs finely spiculate, apex attenuate. Pappus white, 4.5-5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.
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