Perennial shrub or subshrub, erect, 0.8-2.5 m tall. Stems corymbosely branched, woody at base; bark grayish-brown; branches terete, densely woolly-villous with yellowish-white hairs. Leaves narrowly oblong, 15-18×3.5-5 cm, apex acuminate, base narrowed, auriculate, auricles ca. 10-12 mm long on short petiole, margins serrulate to serrate usually with upcurved teeth, upper surface rugose and pilose with blunt-multicellular hairs, lower surface densely silky-woolly, veins 10-12 pairs. Heads 6-7 mm long, in spreading pyramidal panicles, pedunculate. Involucres campanulate, bracts in 3 or 4 series, densely wooly on outer surface; outer bracts smaller, oblong-lanceolate 1-3 mm long, compressed; inner bracts longer linear 5-6 mm long. Receptacle 2.5-3 mm across, flat, alveolate, glabrous. Central florets yellow, tubular, 6-7 mm long, lobes papillate, with sessile glands and sparse multicellular hairs; outer florets filiform, to 6 mm long, 2-4 lobed. Achenes brown, terete, oblong, ca. 1 mm long, sparsely hirsute. Pappus whitish, 4-6 mm long. Chromosome number, 2n = 18 (Peng & Hsu, 1978).

TAIPEI: Shihmen, Kao 7118. MIAOLI: Cholan, Sasaki s. n. 1909. TAICHUNG: Kukuan, Lin s. n. 1974. NANTOU: Hoshe, Shimizu 11025. CHANGHUA: Chingshuiyen, Leu s. n. 1991. CHIAYI: Alishan, Sasaki s. n. 1936. TAINAN: Yuching, Peng 10558; Shanhutan, Peng 10592. KAOHSIUNG: Weiliaoshan, Yang 58731. PINGTUNG: Hsiaoliuchiu, Lin 467. TAITUNG: Luyehhsi, Chou 402; Lanyu Is., Peng 10780.

South and southeast Asia, China. Taiwan, wastelands, more common in the lowlands in the south.