Perennial herb, 75-80 cm tall with sulcate, erect, thick shoots. Basal and lower cauline leaves linear, 20-22 cm long, 3-6 cm wide including spines, glandular-papillose, appressed tomentose-arachnoid, pinnately dissected, lobes 25-45, 10-25 mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide, linear-rectangular, patent, with 3-7 mm long spines at the apex; cauline leaves with few lobes, terminal lobe elongated. Capitula in glomerules, sessile-shortly pedunculate (0.5-1.5 cm long); ca 3 cm in diameter including spines lower capitula not much compact; upper ones tightly compact. Receptacular bristles dense, scabridulous. Involucre campanulate, phyllaries, ca 60, erect–patent, laxly arranged, cobwebby, densely glandular-papillose, outer and median 15-19 mm long including spines, 4-5 mm wide, spines 3-19 mm long; subulate-lanceolate, inner ones ca 17 mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide, oblong-linear, obtuse, ciliate at the margin, membranous, glandulose-papillate. Corolla yellow, ca 18 mm long. Anther tube milky white, glabrous. Cypselas immature. Pappus not seen.