Perennials, 30-80 cm. Internodes (± mid stem) 25-50 mm. Leaves: petioles 0-1 mm (or 5-25+ mm, winged, and scarcely distinct from blades); blades not 3-foliolate, most with 3(-5+), ± oblong to linear lobes (5-)15-40+ × 2-3(-7+) mm (sometimes some leaves not lobed). Peduncles 1-4+ cm. Calyculi of 9-12+ oblong to lanceolate bractlets 3-9+ mm. Phyllaries 8, ± oblong to nearly orbiculate, 6-10 mm. Ray laminae 15-25+ mm. Disc florets 60-80+; corollas yellow (sometimes drying blackish), 5-6.5 mm. Cypselae oblong, 5-6 mm. 2n = 26. Flowering Jun-Aug. Prairies, open woods; 100-300 m; Ark., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., La., Mich., Minn., Mo., Nebr., Okla., S.Dak., Wis.
Rhizomatous perennial 4-9 dm, glabrous except for the scabro-ciliate lf-margins and sometimes hairy nodes; lvs rather numerous, firm, narrow, 3-8 cm, essentially sessile, deeply trilobed at or somewhat below the middle, the lobes linear-oblong, 2-7 mm wide, the central one sometimes again lobed; heads few or solitary, short-pedunculate, the disk yellow, 8-15 mm wide; outer invol bracts 8-12, linear-oblong, nearly equaling the much wider and thinner, broadly rounded or obtuse inner ones; rays 1.5-3 cm, yellow; receptacular bracts linear-clavate, acutish; disk-cors 5- toothed; style appendages cuspidately acute; achenes 5-6.5 mm, narrowly winged; pappus obsolete or of 2 callous teeth; 2n=26. Prairies and open woods; Mich. to Man. s. to La. and Tex. June, July.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.