Upright, 0.5 – 2 m tall, whitish arachnoid to glabrescent, branched, ± sulcate internodes. Leaves greyish-green, bipinnatisect, large, upto ca 100 cm long, and ca 50 cm broad, basal rosetted, arachnoid hairy, lower oblong or broadly lanceolate, with wide, espinose or mucronulate, irregularly lobed primary segments; median and upper stem leaves smaller, sessile; uppermost reduced to 5 – 6 cm long, linear-oblong, acute tipped blades. Capitula large, subglobose, 6 – 7 cm long, (5-) 7 – 8 cm across, solitary terminal on short, 1 – 6 cm long peduncles. Phyllaries often purplish, coriaceous, ± fleshy at base; outer erect or somewhat recurved; median and inner straight, acute; inner fleshy with ovate-triangular, 1.5 – 4 cm long and 1.2 – 3.5 mm wide obtuse appendage. Florets numerous, bluish-purple. Cypselas oblong, 6 – 7 (-8) mm long, dark brown, white mottled. Pappus bristles unequal, 2 – 3 cm long, ± yellowish.