It is a perennial herb producing a thick stem up to 1.2 meters tall from a taproot.

The leaves have blades up to 13 centimeters long which are divided into a few deep lobes and edged with small teeth.

The inflorescence is made up of one or more heads of bisexual and male-only flowers with tiny, curving, yellow petals (var.

The rounded fruits are a few millimeters long, covered in curving prickles, and borne in small clusters.

In North America, it ranges from British Columbia to Baja California, where it can be found in many types of habitat, including mountain slopes, grassland, and woodlands.