Erect or ascending herbs, branched, 20 to 60(-100) cm tall. Stems glabrous to usually sparsely pilose. Basal leaves tending to form rosettes, basal and lower cauline leaves ovate, more or less dentate, petiolate, blade usually strongly decurrent on petiole; middle cauline leaves oblong to oblong lanceolate, acute, base amplexicaul-hastate, margins shallowly to deeply dentate; upper cauline leaves and bracteat leaves ovate to lanceolate, base amplexicaul-cordate, margins strongly to weakly dentate to entire. Heads in very openly branched panicles, with 1 or few pedunculate heads on each branch; peduncle usually with a minute linear bract. Involucre cylindric to usually somewhat urceolate, ca. 15×5 mm; bracts ca. 10. Florets definitely exceeding involucre at anthesis; corolla brick red; corolla tube very slender, limb cylindric, lobes 10.1-1.5 mm long. Achenes ca. 5 mm long, dark brown, 5-ribbed, rib grooves white puberulous; pappus white. Chromosome number, 2n = 20 (Peng & Hsu, 1978).

TAICHUNG: Ou 5376A. TAINAN: Nanhsi, Peng 10557; Nanhua, Peng 10551. KAOHSIUNG: Tahu, Kao 10666. PINGTUNG: Chichia Forest Road, Liu 718; Tungkang, Liao s. n. 1994.

Probably a native of Africa, distributed pantropically. Taiwan, locally cultivated as a garden ornamental, escaped and naturalized in waste places.