Perennial rhizomatous herbs. Stems solitary, erect, 30-60 cm tall, unbranched below inflorescence or branching from near base, glabrous. Basal and often also lower stem leaves withered by anthesis; cauline leaves numerous, subsessile or short petiolate, broadly lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate in outline, 7-14 cm long, 1.5-3.5 cm broad, acutely acuminate or acuminate-attenuate, unlobed, rarely serrate or usually coarsely serrate-lobulate or coarsely dentate, or deeply pinnately lobed, with 8-10, oblong, irregularly mucronulate-lobulate lateral lobes, base cuneate-attenuate, chartaceous, glabrous; upper leaves becoming gradually smaller. Heads radiate, numerous in terminal or terminal and upper axillary corymbs; peduncle 1-2 cm long, 2- or 3-bracteolate; bracteoles linear, 2-3 mm long, sparsely pubescent or subglabrous. Involucre subcylindric, 4.5-6 mm long, 2-4 mm broad, calyculate; inner bracts ca. 13, oblong, 0.5-1 mm broad, triangular-acuminate, apex obtuse, purplish, puberulous, herbaceous, with narrow scarious margins, glabrous; outer bracteoles 4 or 5, linear, ca. 1.5 mm long, at base of involucre. Ray florets 5 or 6, corolla tube 4.5 mm long; rays yellow, 8-20×1.5 mm; disc florets 14 or 15; corolla yellow, 6-7 mm long. Achenes cylindric, 3 mm long, sparsely hirtellous to subglabrous. Pappus ca. 6.5-7 mm long.
TAICHUNG: Hsuehshan, Peng 7919. NANTOU: Kuankao, Peng 8076. CHIAYI: Yushan, Peng 8997. KAOHSIUNG: Kuanshan, Chung 1059. PINGTUNG: Wutoushan, Wang 1014.
Endemic; sunny slopes and meadows in mountains, 1,600 to 3,800 m.
This is a very polymorphic species, which may be divided into many more or less arbitrary taxa based on habit, plant size, leaf size and shape, head size, pubescence of achenes and so on. Specimens with the lower leaves deeply cut or lobed (typical S. morrisonensis) and the upper leaves serrate or subentire (typical S. nemorensis var. dentatus) are sometimes encountered. Intergradation between the two taxa is highly plausible.
