Stems 8-20 cm tall, erect or ascending, not repent, nearly glabrous, stem and leaves sparsely with minute multicellular scale-like hairs, much branched. Leaves chiefly radical, thick, linear, 4-8×0.4 cm, apex acute, base attenuate, narrowed into petiole, margins usually entire, rarely ciliate-serrate; cauline leaves few, 1-3, linear, gradually smaller. Heads loosely corymbose; peduncle slender. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 7-7.5 mm long, blackish, outer bracts calyculate, ovate, 1 mm long, inner bracts 5, linear, white margined, thick keeled toward base. Florets 5(-7); corolla yellow, 10-11×2-3 mm. Achenes brownish, fusiform, slightly compressed, 4-4.5×0.7 mm, apex narrowed, beak 1.5 mm long. Pappus yellowish white, 4-5 mm long, bristles numerous, persistent, unequal.

NANTOU: Tienchih, Chiu 3373; Kuankao to Chungyangchinkuang, Chen 92; Tatachia to Paiyun, Peng 9546. KAOHSIUNG: Kuanshan, Chen 89. HUALIEN: Luanshan to Patolushan, Tamura et al. 21641.

Endemic; in the central mountain range, 3,000-3,500 m.

Similar to I. laevigatum, but distinguishable by having fewer involucral bracts, longer pappus, and smaller and linear leaves.