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resemble the involucral (outer, subtending) bracts 

 of the flower in shape. The involucre is 0.8 inch 

 high with the outer bracts narrowly spear-shaped, 

 0.06-0.08 inch wide at the base, with a few glands 

 or a dark blotch, the tip is slightly wider and has 

 a slender 0.08 inch spine. The middle and inner 

 involucral bracts are progressively less widened at 

 the tip. Flowers are white, the petals 0.8-0.9 inch 

 long with a basal ring of 30-40 tawny hairs 0.70- 

 0.75 inch long. The anthers are 0.30-0.35 inch 

 long. The style extends to 0.4 inch beyond the 

 corolla tube. The seeds are 0.22-0.26 inch long and 

 0.08 inch wide, light brown and sometimes flecked 

 with purple (adapted from Moore and Frankton 1963). 



B. Technical description: Plant perennial by biennial 

 offsets from stout, woody rhizomes; stems ribbed, 

 lightly arachnoid pubescent with long multicellular 

 hairs, 50-60 cm tall, to 1.5 cm thick at base; 

 rosette leaves moderately spiny, margins with broad, 

 shallow divisions, green and glabrous above, densely 

 white pubescent beneath; cauline leaves gray-green 

 arachnoid, with multicellular hairs above, white 

 villous (long thin hairs with single long terminal 

 cell and 1-several short basal cells) below, linear- 

 lanceolate, base not decurrent, about 10 times as 

 long as wide, to 15 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, lobed less 

 than or equal to 1/3 the width, smaller upper leaves 

 essentially entire, lobes ovate, often irregular 

 with numerous fine marginal spines to 5 mm long; 

 heads 3 cm high, 2.5 cm wide, arrangement variable, 

 usually in a close terminal cluster but also 1-2 on 

 stem apex and lateral branches, usually, many 

 floriferous branches to 15 cm long, on terminal 

 third of main stem; floriferous part of stem may be 

 unexpanded in young plants with less than or equal 

 to 5 heads grouped at the stem apex; heads subtended 

 by a few reduced leaves, the uppermost about the 

 size of the involucral bracts and approaching them 

 in form, with gray multicellular hairs at right 

 angles to the margin; involucre 2 cm high with 5-6 

 rows of bracts, outer bracts linear-lanceolate, base 

 1.5-2 mm wide, weakly glandular or with a dark 

 blotch, surface glabrous, apical portion slightly 

 dilated with a yellow lacerate fringe, tipped by a 

 slender 2 mm spine; middle bracts similar but 

 progressively less dilated-lacerate; inner bracts 

 longer, lanceolate, tip not or only slightly 

 lacerate, the lacerate margin varies from a 

 conspicuous yellow fringe to minute irregular 

 serrations and is best seen on young heads but never 

 consists of fine lateral spines; flowers white. 



