Plants up to 75 cm tall. Stem striate, pubescent to glabrous, often villous at the nodes. Leaves sessile, margin spinose; radical leaves 7-18 cm long, 0.5-l.2 cm broad, the cauline ones smaller. Involucral bracts several, leafy, ovate-acuminate. Involucel funnel shaped, 8-9 mm long, villous, limb spinose. Calyx lobes acute, often spine tipped or with a short mucro. Corolla tube l.5-2.5 cm long, slender, pubescent, lobes obtuse. Filament about half as long as the corolla lobes. Achene 5 mm long, dirty white, grooved towards the outside, apex obliquely acute.

Fl.Per.: June July.

Type locality: Kunawar.

Distribution: Himalayas from Kashmir to Garhwal, Tibet, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The plant is common on steep banks in the sub-alpine and alpine zones of the Himalayas from 2400-4200 m. Flowers usually bright yellow.