Basal leaves are up to 4 inches long, slender, have a petiole , and may be entire , toothed, or lobed . Stem leaves usually don't have a petiole and are much smaller. Stems are many branched and tipped by a solitary flower head up to 1 inch wide.
Flowers are pink to reddish-purple and are produced from midsummer through fall.
Flower head bracts are inch wide, and the tips range from a comblike fringe to a blunt ruffled edge. Bract tips range from tan to dark brown or, rarely, black. Seeds are brown to gray in color and are tipped by plumes that fall off at maturity. Herbicides are available for control.