Plants (1.5–)3–9(–16, mostly in fruit) cm; taproots sometimes branched. Stems 1–3+, ascending, proximally purplish, glabrous or glabrate. Leaves fewer than 10, horizontal to patent (green); petioles slender or decurrent lines from bases; blades oblanceolate or narrowly oblong (usually runcinate), (1.5–)2.2–11.6 × 0.4–2.2 cm, bases attenuate, margins usually lobed regularly, ± deeply, in 3–5(–6) pairs, occasionally (younger) only toothed or denticulate, lobes usually retrorse, occasionally straight or antrorse, triangular to narrowly triangular, terminals often largest, acuminate to acute-rounded, sometimes toothed, teeth 0(–1) on lobes or sinuses, triangular, apices obtuse to acute, faces glabrous. Calyculi of 7–9, spreading, becoming reflexed to revolute, often purplish, particularly adaxially, ovate to lance-ovate or elliptic bracklets in 2 series, 2.5–4.5 × 1.7–2.7 mm, margins not or narrowly scarious, hyaline, apices acuminate to caudate, tips sometimes flaring, scarious, erose, hornless. Involucres dark green, often glaucous, often purplish, particularly adaxially, cylindro- to narrowly campanulate, 9–14 mm. Phyllaries 7–8 in 3 series, lanceolate, 1.4–2.6(–4) mm wide, margins not scarious (some outer) to narrowly scarious, apices long-acuminate, tips purplish or grayish, often flared, scarious, hornless. Florets 30–55+; corollas yellow (gray-striped abaxially, sometimes becoming orange purplish with age on drying), outer 11–14 × 1.5–2.4 mm. Cypselae maroon to brown or reddish brown, sometimes grayish, bodies oblanceoloid (sometimes narrowly), 3–3.8 mm, cones conic, 0.8–1 mm, beaks stout, 3–6 mm, ribs 15 narrow (6 prominent), faces proximally ± tuberculate, ± muricate in distal 1/3–1/2 (or less); pappi white to yellowish, 4–6.5 mm. 2n = 24, 32 (as T. kamtschaticum).