[4] This species is native to Eurasia from Spain[5] to Xinjiang Province in western China.

[7] Arctium tomentosum is a biennial herbaceous plant.

Leaves are grayish white and quite felted, green and glabrous toward the stem.

Flowers are purplish red, with a diameter of 0.9–1.2 centimetres (0.35–0.47 in).

This species can be distinguished from related ones because the underside of the leaves is covered with white woolly hairs.