| Habit |
Erect, 50-150 cm long, branched, stem terete, sriate, sparsely to densely puberulous. |
Erect, 4-35 cm long, simple or branched from the base, stem up to 21 cm long, terminating in a solitary inflorescence, angular, grooved, glabrous to glabrescent. |
Erect, 49-65 cm long, simple or with a few branches, stem 20 cm long, terminating in a solitary inflorescence, almost terete, striate, pubescent. |
| Leaf |
2-8.5 × 0.2-1.8 cm, cauline, subsessile, lanceolate or linear in upper portion, dentate to serrate or pinnatifid along margins, acute with a spiny structure at apex, glabrous to minutely puberulous above, tomentose below. |
2-11 × 0.4-1.3 cm, crowded at base of stem, sparse above, sessile, linear ro linear oblong, entire or irregularly wavy along margins, acute to acuminate at apex, glabrous. |
11.5-15.5 × 2-2.7 cm, crowded at base of stem, sparse above, distinctly petioled below (petioles 1.5- 5.5 cm long), sessile above, lanceolate or oblanceolate, pinnatifid at base and dentate along margins, acute or acuminate at apex, glabrous to sparsely pubescent above, pubescent below. |
| Capitulum |
Almost sessile. |
With 3-12.5 cm long peduncle. |
With c. 29 cm long peduncle. |
| Phyllary |
Outer ones c. 5 mm long, narrowly ovate with more acuminate apex, glabrous; inner ones c. 13 × 1 mm, linear oblong with acuminate apex, pubescent towards apex on outer surface. Glabrous on inner surface. |
Outer ones c. 4.5 × 2 mm, ovate with acuminate apex, thick, glabrous or very minutely pubescent along margins near apex; inner ones c. 11 × 4 mm, linear oblong with narrow and flexuous apex, pubescent towards apex on outer surface, glabrous on inner surface. |
Outer ones 2-2.5 × 2 mm, ovate with acuminate apex, hairy along margins and apex; inner ones 13-15 × 1-2 mm, oblong or oblong-lanceolate with subacuminate and slightly crumpled apex, minutely puberulous on outer surface, sparsely puberulous on inner surface only in middle region. |
| Corolla |
Pale yellow, c. 22 mm long. |
Purple, 15-16 mm long. |
Purple, c. 19 mm long. |
| Achene |
c. 4 × 1.5 mm, oblong, truncate at apex, smooth. |
c. 5.5 × 1.5 mm, oblong, truncate at apex, distinctly many-ribbed. |
3-4.2 × 1.5-2 mm, narrowly obovate, truncate at apex, faintly striate. |
| Pappus |
4-20 mm long, shorter in outer whorls, connate at base, deciduous, barbellate. |
Up to 14 mm long, shorter in outer whorls, free, persistent, feathery. |
Minute to 7 mm long, shorter in outer whorls, free, persistent, barbellate. |