Perennial suffrutescent rhizomatous erect herbs, stems terete, 40-120 cm tall, subglabrous or sparsely pubescent, branching upward. Radical leaves withered at anthesis. Cauline leaves thick, somewhat coriaceous, glabrous on both surfaces, dark green on upper surface, pale green on lower surface, veins evident but not raised on lower surface, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or linear lanceolate, middle ones 5-14 cm long, 1-3 cm broad, apex acuminate or caudate-acuminate, base subrounded to attenuate-cuneate, sessile or short petiolate, margins coarsely and sharply serrate with 7-12 pairs of teeth; upper leaves often gradually smaller, lanceolate, acuminate, base rounded, short petiolate. Heads many, in panicles or compound corymbs, peduncle 3-10 mm long, pubescent. Involucre tubular-campanulate or turbinate, 4.5-6 mm tall, 4-5 mm across, bracts scarious, apically purple-brown, nearly glabrous and sparsely hirsute, ciliolate, 4 or 5 seriate, outer bracts smaller, oblong-lanceolate, 1-1.5 mm long, middle bracts elliptic 2-3 mm long, 1 mm wide, inner bracts 4-5.5 mm long. Ray florets white, 9-10 in one row, 4.5-7 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, tube 3 mm long. Disc florets yellow, 4-5 mm long. Pappus dirty white, 3.5-4.5 mm long at maturity. Achenes cylindric, 4-ribbed, 2-2.5 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, densely sericeous, grayish brown. Flowering nearly year round, but mainly in September to January.

ILAN: Mt. Chungyangshan, Tamura & Koyama 23714. MIAOLI: Mt Tapochienshan, Peng 8442. TAICHUNG: Lishan, Peng 6284. NANTOU: Wushe, Peng 6304 & 10334; Lushan, Peng 6128 & 6147. CHIAYI: Mt. Shungshan, Yu et al. s. n. 1954; Mt. Tashan, Feung & Kao 4913. KAOHSIUNG: Tashulinshan, Kitamura F-1234 (TYPE!); Liokuei, Okamoto s. n. 1937. PINGTUNG: Mt. Peitawushan, Peng 13275 & 13206. TAITUNG: Yenping, Leu 834. HUALIEN: Tatewaki & Kitamura s. n. 1932; Paiyang Waterfall, Peng 11299.

Endemic; widely distributed and common on slopes at forest edges, 1,100-3,000 m.

This is a variable but well distinguishable species. The type specimen (Kawakami et Mori, Oct. 1906), however, is aberrant. The lower leaves of the type are trinerved and hispid and resemble those of A. ageratoides. The upper leaves are not strongly trinerved and resemble the leaves of A. taiwanensis. The inflorescence resembles the lax corymb of A. ageratoides, but is partially paniculate, thereby resembling A. taiwanensis. The overall appearance of the type is more closely similar to A. taiwanensis than to A. ageratoides. Because other specimens cited by Kitamura (1932) are typical of A. taiwanensis, the name should be accepted for this species.