Erect, up to 70 cm tall, rosulate perennial, with single or few stems from a woody, strong vertical rhizome. Leaves glaucous-green, on 3 – 9 cm long, basally somewhat dilated, winged, adaxially brown-haired petioles, basal ones narrowly elliptic, 7 – 17 x 2 – 5 cm, deeply pinnatipartite-pinnatisect into 6-12 pairs of opposite to alternate, narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, apically acute lateral lobes, cauline leaves akin to basal but smaller upwards and pinnatifid to entire. Capitula (8-) 10-15-flowered, few, borne in corymb-like or somewhat panicle-like synflorescence. Involucre narrowly cylindrical, 8 – 11 x 2.5 – 3.5 mm at anthesis, slightly enlarged later. Phyllaries dark green, externally mostly crested and beset with sparse curled eglandular hairs, occasionally glabrous, acute; outer phyllaries 5, narrowly ovate, one third to half as long as inner ones; inner phyllaries 8, oblong-linear, equal, obtuse. Florets with 2.5 – 3 mm long, hairy corolla tube, ligules 8 – 10 x 2.5 – 3 mm, yellow. Cypselas black or blackish, fusiform, 4 – 6 (-7) mm long, 10-12-ribbed, ribs unequally thick and scabrid, narrowed to apices. Pappus setae white, 4 – 6 mm long, deciduous individually.