Main stems rather slender, procumbent, often rooting; branches ascending to spreading, sparsely hairy or almost glab., up to 5 cm. long. Lvs 2.5-5 cm. long, 7-11-foliolate; upper three lflts much larger than rest, glaucescent on both sides. Stipules lfy, deeply 3-5-fid, teeth linear-lanceolate, up to 4 mm. long, penicillate. Upper lflts c. 6-8 mm. long, orbicular to broad-ovate, serrate-dentate, glab. or nearly so above, with appressed silky hairs below; teeth penicillate, often tinged reddish brown. Terminal lflts up to 1 × 1 cm., on petiolules 3-5 mm. long. Scapes slender, c. 8 cm. long, with or without one or more pairs of bracts, sparsely to rather densely pilose. Heads c. 1-2 cm. diam. including spines; bractlets linear, ciliate-pilose. Cupules c. 1·5 mm. long, clad in long hairs; spines 3-5 mm. long, brown, us. suffused with pale red; barbs slender. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, pilose below, green, often red-flushed. Stamens 2, anthers purple. Stigma plumose.

2n = 42

Stoloniferous perennial; prostrate stems 1-1.5 mm diam., < 30 cm long; erect stems 1-1.5 mm diam., < 5 cm long. Lvs 2.5-15 cm long; stipules deeply (3)-4-5-fid; leaflets 9-11, obovate, suborbicular or orbicular-emarginate, 4-11 × 1.4-4 mm, 9-13-toothed, green-glaucous on both surfaces with veins often dark, ± glabrous on upper surface, sparsely hairy on lower surface; teeth obtuse, penicillate, often dark-tipped. Scape (7)-12-20 cm long, glabrate, purplish; capitulum 6-9 mm diam. at flowering, c. 15 mm diam. (including spines) at fruiting; florets c. 50-60; sepals 4; stamens 2; anthers red; style 1, rose or white; achene 1. Fr. obconic, c. 2.5 × 1 mm, hairy; spines 4, pale brown, c. 4 mm long, barbed.