An erect perennial herb up to 90(120) cm. tall, from a semi-woody taproot. Stems mostly solitary, stout, leafy, hollow, glabrous. Leaves runcinate-dentate or entire (coarsely pinnatilobed-runcinate in Natal), glabrous; basal leaves 6–7 in a rosette, 2–8.5 x 0.5–2.5 cm., oblanceolate, evanescent; cauline leaves few to many, somewhat crowded on the lower stem, 4–14(18) x 1–4(10) cm., narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to somewhat panduriform in outline, the uppermost becoming linear-lanceolate, apices obtuse or acuminate, margins coarsely sharply and irregularly-toothed, bases semi-amplexicaul sometimes auriculate-sagittate with narrow lobes up to 1.5 cm. long. Capitula up to 7(40) in lax reduced corymbiform cymes. Involucres c. 15 x 5–10 mm. in fruiting capitula, ± broadly cylindric-campanulate, persistent white-lanate below. Phyllaries imbricate, 3–4 x 1–2 mm. on the outside, increasing to 12 mm. long on the inside, to c. 15 mm. long in fruiting capitula, lanceolate-lorate, obtuse-acute, membranous, midribs of the outermost often setose becoming thickened towards the base, white- or brownish-lanate, glabrescent towards the apex. Florets numerous. Corollas yellow, c. 12–17 mm. long, pubescent about the junction of the tube and ligule; ligule often purplish outside, c. 5 mm. long, oblong. Achenes pale-brown, c. 4–5 mm. long, narrowly ellipsoid, slightly flattened glabrous ribbed, the marginal ribs and main rib on each face well developed with c. 2 secondary ribs between, the main rib eventually swollen and rugulose; pappus white, c. 10 mm. long, composed of minutely barbellate setae intermixed with down-like hairs.
