Ligularia heterophylla Ruprecht var. alpina Ruprecht; L. heterophylla var. subramosa Ruprecht.

Plants grayish green. Stem erect, 22-140 cm tall, 3-10 mm in diam. at base, glabrous except synflorescence shortly pilose. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole purplish red, 2.5-25 cm, glabrous, base sheathed, upper part narrowly winged; leaf blade oblong or broadly elliptic, 4.5-20 × 2.3-10.5 cm, glabrous, pinnately veined, abaxially with prominent veins, base cuneate, narrowed into a petiole, margin irregularly dentate, apex rounded or acute. Middle to distal stem leaves similar, but sessile, to 12 × 7 cm, smaller distally, base semiamplexicaul. Synflorescence racemose, rarely paniculate, 4-6(-45) cm, distal ones clustered, proximal ones branched, lax; branches 1.5-12 cm, each with 2-23 capitula; leaflike and supplementary bracts linear-subulate, 5-7 mm; peduncles 2-4 mm. Capitula numerous. Involucre campanulate or subcupular, 6-7 × 5-6 mm, outside densely shortly yellow pilose; phyllaries 6-8, in 2 rows, oblong or ovate, 3-5 mm wide, apex acute or obtuse; inner phyllaries membranous at margin. Ray florets yellow; lamina obovate or oblong, 7-10 × 3-4 mm, apex obtuse; tube ca. 4 mm. Tubular florets numerous, 6-7 mm; tube 2-2.5 mm. Achenes yellowish, cylindric, 4-5 mm. Pappus white, as long as tubular corolla. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug. 2n = 58.

Alpine meadows, grassy slopes; 1900-4500 m. Xinjiang (Pamir, Tian Shan) [NE Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, N Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan].