It is a hairy, glandular annual herb approaching 30 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are strap-shaped with abrupt divisions into small, narrow teeth at intervals. The inflorescence is a head filled with spine-toothed, leaflike bracts. The flowers tucked amidst the bracts are light purple or occasionally white, with reddish veining in their tubular throats. The flower is just under a centimeter long and has a five-lobed corolla.
