Main stems rather slender, up to 5 dm. long, creeping and rooting; branches ascending, c. 3-5 cm. long, sparsely to densely pilose. Lvs 2.5-3·5 cm. long; stipules deeply 3-4-fld, up to 4 mm. long; lflts 9-11. Upper lflts 6·5-8·5 mm. long, deeply serrate, brownish green to green above, paler below, glab. or nearly so above, pilose on veins below, teeth penicillate. Scape up to 9 cm. long, slender, ± pilose, nude or with one or more bracts. Heads 1 cm. or more diam. including spines. Sepals ovate to broad-lanceolate, often tinged red, rather sparsely hairy below, ± papillose above. Cupules c. 2 mm. long, obconic, tetragonous, almost winged above, pilose. Spines subequal, up to 8 mm. long, yellowish green sts tinged red. Stamens 2, anthers white. Stigma plumose.