Perennial with a stout woody rootstock barely covered by fibrous remains of old leaves. Stem erect, 30-90 cm, often branched, deeply sulcate, more or less densely covered by antrorse hairs. Petioles longer than lamina, up to half as long as scape in small specimens, hairy on stem, lamina cordate-orbicular, with a comparatively narrow sinus at base, upto 20 cm, 5-lobed to about the middle, central lobe often longer than the lateral ones, acute, all primary lobes lobulate and irregularly dentate, hairy below, glabrous above. Involucral leaves shortly stalked, similar to the radical ones in division and pubescence, but slightly smaller. Some of the primary peduncles bearing an involucel and secondary peduncles or pedicels. Flowers 3-4.5 (-5) cm in diameter, white. Sepals 5-8, obovate-oblong or ovate, subacute or obtuse silky outside. Carpels in large heads, very numerous, embedded in dense wool, styles short.