Annual herbs, 23–140 cm tall. Leaves usually opposite, on 5– 15 (–30) mm long, winged petiole, lamina tripartite,  deeply 3– or 5–lobed, lobes ovate– lanceolate, 2–7.5 cm long, 0.4–1.5 cm wide, usually glabrous, or hispid, margins dentate, serrate, or toothed, rarely simple leaves lanceolate – ovate, 6 – 8 cm long, 2 – 3 cm wide. Capitula hemispherical, usually discoid, solitary on long peduncles. Involucre  campanulate.  Phyllaries 2–seriate, usually distinct,  outer phyllaries green, ± spathulate , 1.5–4 cm long, inner  golden  brown,  ca 0.2 cm wide, ovate to oblong–lanceolate,   membranous or scarious. Receptacles flat, paleae green, sometimes yellow to orange.  Ray florets usually absent or when present 1–5, usually neuter.  Disc florets bisexual, fertile, yellow rarely whitish, tube smaller than limb, 4–5 lobed. Staminal filaments glabrous. Style branches lanceolate. Cypselas brown, 6–9.5 mm long, compressed, oblong, cuneate, glabrous or sparsely strigillose. Pappus awns  2– 4, stiff, 1.5 – 4 mm long, usually retrorsely barbed.