ABSTRACT
Perennial, up to 60-80 cm tall plant, with stout caudex, glabrous. Stems singly or more, upright, obtuse-ribbed, branched in inflorescence. Leaves dull green, radical leaves up to 20 cm long, 5-6.6 cm broad, long-petiolate, blades linear-oblong in profile, 2-or 3-pinnatisect, terminal lobules linear-filiform, up to 1 mm broad, 4 cm long, tapered at tip into a short cusp; cauline leaves much smaller and on very short petioles. Anthodia 1-10 (up to 15-20) generally gathered in a compact corymb; stalks up to 1 cm long. Thalamus highly bulging, obtuse-conical. Ray flowers fertile, pistillate; disc flowers bisexual, but generally sterile, glued with a mucilaginous secretion into a small compact lump. Achenes grey, 1.8-2.5 mm long, orbicular-obovate, highly flattened on back, with 2 exserted lateral ribs, without pappus, but often with subacute tapering margin, shell highly mucilaginous on wetting Plate XI, 4 a, b.
