Erect, rarely ascending, annual herbs, 100— 400 mm high. Stems branched or unbranched from the base, all ending in inflorescences. Leaves alternate, sometimes rosulate at base; petioles of basal leaves well developed, with stipule-like appendages; appendages irregularly dentate; lamina pinnatisect to bipinnatisect, entire on flowering shoots, 15-50 x 10-30 mm; lobes of second order linear, 0.5-1.0 mm in diameter, sometimes semifalcate, mucronate with a hard white mucro. Capitula heteroga-mous radiate, in panicles or racemes with oldest capitula terminal and younger ones proximal, semiglobose when young, up to 5 mm in diam­eter, in fruiting stage almost globose, up to 15 mm in diameter; distal part of peduncle glabrous. Involucral bracts in 3 or 4 rows, imbricate, broadly membranous, 1.5-2.5 x 1.0-1.5 mm, glabrous, apex obtuse, outer bracts relatively narrow, linear, inner ones ovate. Receptacle conical. Marginal paleae ovate, cen­tral paleae lanceolate with arista which is the continuation of the main vein, main vein dis­tinctly yellow-brown, rest of palea transparent, membranous, 1.2-1.8 x 0.8-1.2 mm. Ray florets 12-20, female, strap-shaped; corolla red-purple to red-purple with yellow distal part, rarely com­pletely yellow, very short, 1 mm long, rarely up to 3.5 x 1.6 mm, 3-dentate, cuneate. Style branches linear, 0.1-0.2 mm long. Ovary oblong-ovoid. Disc florets 130-150, bisexual; corolla tubular, 5-dentate (-lobed), pure yellow to yellow with red-purple margin, up to 2.5 mm long. Stamens 5. Style branches linear, truncate, with sweeping hairs at apex. Ovary oblong; ovaries of both ray and disc florets with dense, woolly indumentum after anthesis, hairs septate. Flowering time: July to November, with a peak from July to September.