Erect, biennial herb, 20-70 cm tall. Stems densely lanate when young but soon glabrous, branched or not from base. Basal lvs lanate when young, soon almost glabrous, petiolate; petiole < lamina, amplexicaul; lamina pinnatifid toward base or not lobed, ovate-oblong to elliptic, obtuse to subacute at apex, regularly or irregularly crenate or serrate, c. 25-120 × 15-50 mm; venation pinnate. Cauline lvs lyrate-pinnatifid to 1-pinnate with irregularly once-toothed, oblong segments; uppermost lvs apetiolate, pinnatisect with narrow segments. Capitula in open panicles. Supplementary bracts 3-10-(16), lanceolate, 1.5-6 mm long. Involucral bracts 13-22, ovate-oblong, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy, 3.5-5.5 mm long. Ray florets 13-20; ligules yellow, 5-11 mm long. Disc yellow. Achenes terete, usually glabrous, rarely innermost sparsely hairy, c. 2 mm long; pappus 3-3.5 mm long.