Japan Flora: Stems 1.5-2 m, long, densely cobwebby in upper portion; lower and median cauline leaves thin, elliptic or ellip­tic-lanceolate, 23-60 cm. long, abruptly acuminate, narrowed at base, sometimes white-variegated and mealy-puberulent or glabrous above, densely cobwebby and puberulent beneath, short-petiolate or sessile, pinnately cleft to lobed, the lobes lanceolate, 4 or 5 pairs, narrowly acuminate, often hregularly 3 lobulate nearly to the base, spines 5-10 mm. long; heads spicate, erect or ascending, usually pedunculate, rarely sessile; involucres tubular-campanulate, densely cobwebby, 1.5-1.8 cm. long, 1.7-2 cm. wide, purplish; bracts 7-seriate, the outer short, ovate or lanceolate, acuminate, spine-tipped, the median nar­rowly oblong; corollas purplish, 18-20 mm. long. Sept.-Oct. Mountains; Honshu (Kanto to Kinki Distr.).

var. kiotense Kitam. Outer and me­dian involucral bracts obtuse, very rarely acute, appressed, scarcely spine-tipped. Honshu (Kinki and w. Hokuriku Distr.).

var. yechizenense Kitam. Leaves elliptic, pinnatilobed, the lobes entire, spinulose, short spine-tipped; heads nodding; involucres campanulate, 12-17 mm. long, the bracts imbricate, obtuse or acute, scarcely spine­tipped. Honshu (Echizen Prov.).