Perennial herb, up to 25 cm tall, with thin, simple roots; glabrous to subglabrous. Leaves with 5 – 7  cm long petiole; blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, 15 – 20  x 3 – 5  cm, upper ones with coarse teeth, the basal or lower ones with patent lobes. Scapes 1-3, 10 – 25  cm long. Involucre 10 – 15  x 8 – 12  mm; outer phyllaries linear-lanceolate, loosely appressed, cornute, marginate; inner ones linear, twice as long as outer, callose, purplish. Capitulum c. 4 cm across. Ligules yellow, peripheral ones with violaceous stripes outside along the margin. Styles yellow; stigma greenish. Cypsela brownish, c. 3 mm long, spinulose above, with abruptly formed 1.5 mm long, subcylindrical cone; beak c. 7 mm long; pappus dull white.