Stiffly erect perennial herb 40–80 cm tall; stems to 1 cm in diameter at base, densely leafy, glabrous; rootstock thick, with fleshy fusiform roots. Leaves sessile, parallel-veined, linear-lanceolate, obtuse, 12–25 cm long, 0.8–4 cm wide, base semi-amplexicaul, margins subentire or serrulate, apex acute or slightly obtuse, glabrous. Capitula solitary, terminal, sessile, surrounded by an outer involucre of overtopping leaves with wide sheathing bases; inner involucre 3–4 cm high, 3–5 cm wide; phyllaries 1–2-seriate, reddish, oblanceolate-oblong, 27–33 mm long, terminating in short slightly expanded membranous obtuse apically slightly erose appendages. Corolla yellow or cream (Lisowski says red), 34–37 mm long, lobes 10 mm long, glabrous. Achenes 5–10 mm long, many-ribbed, densely pubescent; pappus without a distinct shorter outer series, 23–30 mm long. Fig. 52.
