Annual, lactiferous herb, up to 40 cm tall, with dense bristly hairs and short glandular hairs. Radical leaves are oblong-oblanceolate, entire, undulate, or pinnately lobed, arranged in a rosette, while cauline leaves are cordate-sagittate and amplexicaul. Heads are bright yellow, occasionally with a black center. Fruits are grey-brown to grey-violet beaked achenes, with the beak comprising about half the length of the achene, with equal greyish pappus on all achenes.