Senecio purdomii Turrill, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1914: 327. 1914.

Stem erect, to 150 cm tall, 1-2 cm in diam. at base, shortly brown pilose. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole purplish red, to 50 cm, robust, to 1 cm in diam., shortly brown pilose, base narrowly long sheathed; leaf blade adaxially green, reniform or orbicular-reniform, 14-50 cm in diam. or broader than long, peltate, abaxially densely shortly pilose, adaxially glabrous, palmately veined, margin regularly dentate, apex rounded or retuse; sinus ca. 1/3 as long as leaf blade, broad, basal lobes orbicular. Middle stem leaves similar but smaller, to 18 cm wide, shortly petiolate, apex retuse; sheath enlarged, 7-10 cm, to 10 cm in diam., shortly brown pilose. Distalmost stem leaves only broadly sheathed. Corymbs compound, to 50 cm, much branched; branches numerous, densely shortly brown pilose, each branch with 3-7 capitula; peduncles to 3 cm, shortly brown pilose. Capitula numerous; leaflike and supplementary bracts linear, hairs as on peduncles. Involucre campanulate-turbinate, 8-13 × 6-16 mm, outside shortly yellowish brown pilose, rarely glabrous; phyllaries 6-12, dark brown, oblong or lanceolate, apex acute; inner phyllaries brown membranous at margin. Florets numerous, yellow, all tubular, 7-9 mm; tube ca. 3 mm; limb ca. 2 mm wide. Achenes yellowish brown, cylindric, to 7 mm, narrowly ribbed. Pappus white or brown when mature, 3-4 mm, as long as tube of tubular corolla. Fl. Jun-Jul.

● Stream banks, swamps; 3700-4100 m. SW Gansu, SE Qinghai, NW Sichuan.