A thin, slender herb, 10 – 30 cm tall, usually glabrous. Leaves 8 – 15 x 2 – 2.5 cm, lanceolate to oblanceolate, entire to few toothed or lobed, lobes 2-3 on each side; petiole c. 2 cm long, purple, winged. Scapes few, hairy at the top. Capitula 1.5 cm across. Involucre 10-12 mm long and broad, greenish; outer phyllaries appressed, recurved at the tip, 6 x 2 mm, with broad scarious margin, lanceolate, lilac, corniculate. Ligules yellow, peripheral ones narrow, channelled with brown stripes outside. Anthers polliniferous. Styles and stigmas yellow. Cypselas reddish, 3 mm long, sharply spinulose above with c. 1 mm long cone formely gradually, bearing few spinules; beak 6 – 7 mm long; pappus 5 – 6 mm long, white, scabrous.