Herbs 30-40 cm tall. Stem erect, unbranched or with few branches, densely lanate; wings broad, undulate, densely lanate, with yellow spines. Leaves densely lanate. Lower cauline leaves sessile, ± narrowly elliptic, 30-40 cm, pinnately lobed; lobes ovate, margin undulate, with spiny teeth. Upper cauline leaves gradually smaller upward, lobed or toothed; teeth and lobes apically with yellow spines. Capitula solitary. Involucre globose to subglobose, 4-6 cm in diam., lanate pubescent. Outer and middle phyllaries lanceolate, straight, apex accumbent to involucre and narrowed into a slender spine; innermost phyllaries 3-3.5 × ca. 0.2 cm, narrowed into a scarious 1.2-1.5 cm acumen. Achene brown to grayish brown, tetragonous, ca. 6 mm, 4-ribbed, wrinkled along edges, apical rim scarious. Pappus bristles to 2.5 cm, plumose, a single inner one more robust than others and ca. 3 cm. Fl. and fr. May-Jun. 2n = 34.

No material of Onopordum leptolepis from China was seen by the present authors. The above description is taken from the treatment by Pavlov (Fl. Kazakhst. 9: 348-350. 1966).

Mountainous regions. Xinjiang [Kazakhstan].