Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to northern California, east to Montana.

Habitat: Slopes, open forest, and moist meadows from low to middle elevations in the mountains.

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial, Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, butterflies, beetles, hummingbirds

Robust, tap-rooted perennial, 9-25 dm. tall, the stem succulent, thick below and tapering.

Leaves green and only lightly loose-white-woolly below, weakly spiny, pinnatifid or coarsely toothed.

Heads clustered at the ends of branches and the main stem, often surpassed by the leaves; involucre 2-4 cm. high, strongly spider-webby, not much inbricate, its bracts slender and tapering, all but the inner with short spines; flowers all tubular, the tube very slender, dull purplish-red, 12-18 mm. long, the corolla lobes 2-4 mm. long; receptacle densely bristly.