Biennial to 1 m high; stems with discontinuous wings to c. 5 mm wide, cut into spinose lobes, cobwebbed. Basal leaves in a rosette, lanceolate to oblanceolate in outline, 5–25 cm long, 2–10 cm wide, deeply pinnatisect, pubescent, concolorous, grey-green, margins spiny; cauline leaves similar but smaller, stem-clasping. Inflorescence of several capitula in terminal panicles; capitula hemispherical, nodding or erect, 2–5 cm diam.; peduncles 10–20 mm long, terete; involucral bracts lanceolate, to 30 mm long; outer bracts slightly spreading, green; intermediate bracts erect, purplish. Corolla 18–22 mm long, purple. Cypselas 4–5 mm long; pappus bristles unequal,15–20 mm long. Flowers spring and summer.
VVP, GipP, OtP, DunT, EGU, HNF, MonT, VAlp. Also naturalised WA, NSW, ACT, Tas. Native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa. In Victoria so far recorded from a few scattered localities in the east and Wyperfeld National Park and near Hamilton in the west, but potentially troublesome in pasture land and declared a noxious weed in the State.
