Leaves and scapes sparsely arachnoid to subglabrous. Capitulum erect after anthesis. Outer phyllaries (9 or)10–16(–19), greenish to dark green, imbricate or sometimes not so, ovate to lanceolate, usually tightly appressed, border paler or reddish and usually broad or less often narrow or absent, usually not corniculate near apex. Florets white, whitish yellow, pale yellowish (more deeply yellow in center of capitulum), or yellow. Achene pale grayish or brownish straw-colored, subdensely coarsely spinulose with subacute stout spinules often slightly curved upward, apically subgradually to subabruptly narrowing into a usually subcylindric 0.7–1 × 0.4–0.5 mm cone; beak 5–7 mm, sometimes thick but usually thin. Pappus white or brownish discolored, 5–7 mm.

from: Ge X., Kirschner J. & Štěpánek J. in Wu Z. Y. & al. (ed.), Flora of China 20–21: 273. 2011, Beijing & St Louis.



Plants usually slender. Leaves usually subglabrous to sparsely araneous, narrow in outline, shallowly to deeply lobate to dissected with subpatent to downward-pointing lobes. Scapes ± glabrous to sparsely araneous. Outer involucral bracts usually tightly appressed, imbricate, not numerous (10–14), greenish to dark green, usually with a broad, less often narrow, distinct, paler or reddish margin, ovate to lanceolate, not corniculate (often ± callose) near apex. Flowers white, white-yellow, pale yellowish (more deeply in the centre of capitulum) or yellow, ligules flat. Pollen absent or present, then of variable size. Achenes pale greyish or stramineous brownish, ± thick (usually 0.9–1.0 mm), subdensely coarsely spinulose with subacute stout spinules often slightly curved upwards, subabruptly narrowing in a thick (0.4–0.5 mm in diam.) subcylindrical cone usually 0.7–1.0 mm long; rostrum thick or ± thin, 5–7 mm long, pappus white or yellowish (dirty) white or pale yellowish-brownish, ca. 5–7 m long. Flowering time: late June and July.

from: Kirschner & Štěpánek in Folia Geobot. 39: 263. 2004