Erect annual or biennial, to 1 m high. Basal leaves short-lived, petiolate, lanceolate, to 20 cm long and 6 cm wide, pinnatifid, lyrate, pubescent to cobwebbed, margins scabrous, petiolate; cauline leaves with decurrent bases, linear-lanceolate, 1–7 cm long, 2–8 mm wide, entire or toothed. Capitula solitary, ovoid to globose, 4–15 mm diam.; involucre 10–12 mm long; intermediate bracts ovate, cobwebbed to glabrous, terminal appendage with a straight spine 10–25 mm long and 1 or 2 pairs of smaller basal spines; inner bracts with a scarious, suborbicular, crenulate apex. Corolla 15–20 mm long, yellow. Cypselas c. 2.5 mm long, pale, streaked black, glabrous; pappus of unequal bristles to c. 4 mm long. Flowers mainly Nov.–Feb
LoM, Wim, VVP, VRiv, MuF, Gold, DunT, NIS, EGU, MonT. Also naturalised WA, NT, SA, Qld, NSW, Tas. Native to Europe and western Asia. A declared noxious weed in Victoria, occurring on roadsides and degraded pasture, mostly between Hamilton and Myrtleford.
Source:
Jeanes, J.A. (1999). Asteraceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 652–666. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
