Annual rosette herb. Stems sprawling, ascending, up to 30 cm long, rarely 0, with subappressed felty or woolly tomentum and sparse coarse dark multicellular hairs above. Lvs lyrate-pinnatifid to 2-pinnatisect, petiolate, (3)-5-30 × 1-5-(10) cm, with broadly ovate to deltoid terminal lobe and 3-5 pairs of lanceolate, oblong, or oblanceolate lateral lobes, green with scattered short hairs above, silvery with appressed felted tomentum beneath; margins toothed; stem lvs amplexicaul. Capitula solitary on erect scapes. Involucre 1-1.5 cm diam. Involucral bracts in 4-5 series, glabrous or sparsely tomentose, greenish; outermost bracts narrowed into a linear terminal appendage; inner bracts oblong, obtuse, usually scarious or dark on margins. Ligules 1.5-2.5 cm long, pale yellow, tinged greenish or purplish beneath. Disc florets dark. Achenes obovoid, weakly flattened with narrow lateral ridges and a weak dorsal ridge, finely wrinkled, dark brown, 2-2.5 mm long, densely covered with long, buff to mauve woolly hairs. Pappus scales brown or purple, scarious, c. 1 mm long.