Oligosporus capillaris (Thunb.) Poljakov in Tr. Inst. Bot. Akad. Nauk. Kazakhst. SSR 11: 168. 1961.

Biennial or perennial glabrous herb, usually with solitary or few, slender, erect, 30-80 (-100) cm tall, pale-purpureus or reddish-brown stems from vertical woody rootstock. Basal leaves silky hairy, short petioled; middle stem leaves almost sessile, oblong-ovate, 2-4 x 1-2.5 cm, uni- or bipinnatisect into filiform, 8-12 x 0.3-0.5 mm, ± acute segments; uppermost in floral region simple, filiform with 1 or 2 basal auricles. Capitula numerous, heterogamous, shortly peduncled to sessile, ovate, c. 1.75-2.25 x 1-1.5 mm, secund, approximate, nodding in a narrow to wide, 10-30 x 5-15 cm panicle with 8-20 cm long, ascending primary branches bearing 3-8 cm long, ± patent secondary branches. Involucre 3-4-seriate, phyllaries laxly imbricate, all glabrous; outermost ovate, c. 0.75 mm long, green with narrow membranous margins, ± acute; inner ones elliptic, c. 1.25 mm long, broadly membranous margined, obtuse. Receptacle conical, glabrous. Florets 8-12, yellow; marginal florets female, 3-5, fertile, with narrow tubular, c. 0.75 mm long, bidentate corolla and long exserted, divergent style branches; disc-florets 5-7, functionally staminate with narrowly conical, c. 1.25 mm long, 5-toothed glandular corolla. Cypselas brown, oblong-ovate, c. 0.8 mm long.

Fl. Per.: August-October.

Type: E. Japan, Thunberg s. n. (UPS, S).

A very common plant, especially at low altitudes, from 300-1000 msl in sandy-clay soils after late winter rains; Distribution: Pakistan eastwards to Japan and northwards to Mongolia and Soviet Union (Udsk, Ussuri and Sakhalin).