Perennial herb, rather stout, up to 60 cm tall, scaberulous and leafy. Stem pinkish, erect, much branched mostly from the base, branches stout and leafy. Leaves polymorphic, simple, lobed or unlobed,  mostly discolorous − rarely green both sides, radical and lower cauline leaves 5−15 (−35) cm long including winged petiole,  white tomentose − arachnoid beneath or slightly hairy above, basally auricled, dilated at the base,  linear−oblong or lanceolate, pinnatifidly − deeply pinnatisect or dissected towards the midrib, entire or sinuate dentate, acute – acuminate or apiculate; terminal lobe ovate−lanceolate or linear 1−2.2 cm long, 0.2 − 1.5 cm wide; lateral lobes (1−) 4 − 5−  (−8) pairs,  0.5− 1 cm long, 0.2− 1 cm wide, linear or ovate− triangular or rhomboid; entire or further lobed; upper leaves sessile or shortly dilated, 3−6 cm long, auricled, entire, simple (obovote − spathulate or linear – lanceolate) or pinnatifid, lobes, mostly 2−3 pairs. Involucre large ca 2 cm long, cupulioform, phyllaries 4−5 seriate, outer and middle ones dark green, linear − lanceolate and often recurved; inner most linear, erect, acuminate with purple tip. Capitula terminal; broadly campanulate, large, 2 cm long, 2.5−4.5 cm across, peduncles stout. Receptacular bristles offwhite, 6‒7 mm long. Florets numerous, purple. Corolla 15‒16 mm long, corolla tube 7‒8 mm long, limb almost equalling to tube, lobes ca 3 mm long. Cypselas quadrangular, pitted, 7‒8 mm long, 1,5-2 mm wide, dark greyish‒black, horns erect, 1‒2 mm long, umbo absent. Pappus 10‒12 mm long outer smaller, inner large, connate, deciduous, long plumose.

A fairly common and highly variable species which can be further distinguished into two varieties: