Erect perennial herb to 1 m high, villous becoming glabrous with age. Leaves basal and cauline, entire or dentate towards apex; basal leaves rosetted, lanceolate, 33–185 mm long, 6–40 mm long; cauline leaves oblong to narrowly obovate-oblong, 17–108 mm long, 5–20 mm wide, auriculate at base, mucronate. Capitula subsessile or pedunculate, 13–47 mm long; involucral bracts 15–26, 3–4-seriate; outer bracts lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 1.5–4 cm long, usually much exceeding ray florets, spreading, rigid, hirsute, with pungent mucro; inner bracts oblong, 3–10 mm long, mucronate. Ray florets 23–90, 2–3-seriate, cream to golden yellow; disc florets 60–250, pale yellow. Cypselas of ray florets lenticular, 1.6–3.6 mm long; those of disc florets 3-angled, obovoid or compressed, 1–2.5 mm long. Pappus scales numerous, 0.5–2 mm long, acute. Flowers mostly summer.
