Plants 40-100 cm, herbage ± sparsely hairy. Stems rigidly erect, openly branched above, stramineous. Leaves basal and cauline; basal often absent at anthesis, petioles winged, blades pinnately 1-2-divided into linear or lanceolate spine-tipped lobes, cauline spreading or recurved, lanceolate to ovate, rigid, clasping, margins spiny-lobed, spine-tipped. Involucres ovoid, 20-25 mm, very thinly cobwebby or becoming glabrous. Outer phyllaries ascending or ± spreading, 35-55 mm, usually 2 times as long as inner, terminal appendages spreading to ascending, spiny-lobed, prominently spine-tipped. Corollas pale yellow, 25-35 mm, throats abruptly expanded; anthers white with purple stripes; pollen white. Cypselae brown, 4-6 mm, outer roughened; pappus scales 1-10 mm. 2n = 64.

Flowering summer (Jun-Aug). Fields, roadsides; 0-500 m; introduced; B.C.; Calif., Nev., Oreg., S.C.; Europe.