Stem erect, 40-170 cm tall, 3-6 mm in diam. at base, rarely to 2 cm in diam., glabrous. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole 23-75 cm, slender, glabrous or apically arachnoid-puberulent, base narrowly sheathed; leaf blade cordate-hastate or reniform-hastate, rarely sagittate, 2.5-16.5 × 6-32 cm, glabrous or shortly pilose on both surfaces, abaxially sometimes hairy only along veins, palmately veined, base broadly cordate, margin regularly sharply dentate, apex triangular, acute or shortly mucronate; sinus 1/5-1/3 as long as leaf blade, broad; basal lobes sharply triangular, divergent, margin sharply dentate and 1- or 2-dentate on each outer margin. Middle to distal stem leaves similar but smaller, shortly petiolate or sessile; sheath enlarged. Synflorescence racemose, to 90 cm, glabrescent; leaflike bracts ovate-lanceolate to linear, proximal ones to 5 cm, distal ones linear, shorter; peduncles 1-7 mm, rarely proximal ones to 3 cm. Capitula numerous; supplementary bracts linear. Involucre narrowly or broadly cylindric, 8-12 × 2-4 mm, rarely to 17-18 × ca. 8 mm, outside glabrous; phyllaries 5(-7), in 2 rows, oblong, 1.5-3(-6) mm wide, apex triangular, acute; inner phyllaries membranous at margin. Ray florets 1-4(or 5), yellow; lamina linear-oblong or oblanceolate, 1-1.7 cm × 2-4 mm, apex obtuse; tube 5-13 mm. Tubular florets 5-10, 1-1.9 cm; tube 6-13 mm. Achenes fusiform, 5-7 mm. Pappus white, yellowish white, or sometimes brown, 5-8 mm, shorter than tube of tubular corolla. Fl. and fr. Jul-Dec. 2n = 60.

There are three different populations with differing involucre widths:

1) Narrow-involucre population: Plants large; leaves to 28.5 cm wide; involucre narrowly cylindric, 8-12 × 2-3 mm, phyllaries 5. Anhui, Jiangsu, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan].

2) Broad-involucre population: Plants robust, taller; leaves to 32 cm wide; raceme to 90 cm; involucre broadly tubular, 17-18 × 5-8 mm, phyllaries 5(-7). Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang.

3) Mid-sized involucre population: between populations 1 and 2 in size. C, N, SW China. The plants of Xizang and Yunnan are the smallest.

Stream banks, grassy slopes, forest understories, at base of rocks, on trees; 900-3300 m. Anhui, ?Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, NW Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan].