Perennials (sometimes flowering first year), 20-80 cm. Leaves basal and cauline or cauline; petiolar bases 5-15 cm; blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, 5-15 cm × 5-30(-40) mm, margins raggedly pinnately lobed to toothed or entire, faces scabrellous and/or sparsely to densely villous (hairs jointed). Peduncles (5-)20-35+ cm. Phyllaries 24-40+ ovate to lance-attenuate, 10-15+ mm, ciliate with jointed hairs (also strigose and gland-dotted). Receptacular setae 2-6 mm. Ray florets (6-)12-18+; corollas yellow or yellow/purple, rarely tubular and 5-lobed, usually distally laminate and 3-lobed, 15-35+ mm. Disc florets 60-120+; corollas usually purple or purple-tipped, sometimes yellow, tubes 0.5-1.5 mm, throats cylindric to urceolate, 4.5-5.5 mm, lobes lance-ovate to triangular-attenuate, 1-2 mm, jointed hairs 0.3+ mm. Cypselae clavate (outer) to obpyramidal (inner), 2.5-6 mm, hairs 1.5-2.5 mm, inserted at bases; pappi of 8 ovate to lanceolate, aristate scales 5-6 mm (scarious bases 1.5-3 × 0.4-1.5 mm). 2n = 34, 68. Flowering May-Sep. Open places, usually among aspens or pines, or with sagebrush, often dry, sandy benches or bars; 200-2900 m; Alta., B.C., Man., N.W.T., Sask., Yukon; Colo., Conn., Idaho, Mass., Minn., Mont., N.H., N.Dak., Oreg., S.Dak., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Plant: Perennial 2-7 dm, generally erect Leaves: lower 5-15 cm, alternate, reduced upward, entire to pinnately lobed INFLORESCENCE: primary inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower; heads radiate, generally 1-2; peduncles 8-20 cm; phyllaries 9-11 mm, acuminate; receptacle bristles clearly > fruits Flowers: Ray flowers generally (6-) 13(-16); ligules 10-35 mm, yellow or base purple, deeply 3-lobed; Disk flowers: many; corollas 7-9 mm, purple or brown, densely purplish woolly; style tips long, tapered Fruit: 3-4 mm, obpyramidal, densely hairy; pappus 7-10 mm, of 5-10 scales, awn-tipped, awn ± 2 X body Misc: Open sites, grassland; < 2000 m.