Seedling
Cotyledons round to oval, with slight indentations at the tips. Cotyledons wither, but usually remain, after true leaves develop. First few true leaves alternate, elliptic to oval with the base narrower than the tips, with toothed edges and soft prickles.
Mature plant
Stems erect, branching near the top, 2 to 5 feet high at maturity. Stems smooth below to slightly hairy near the top, hollow, with a milky sap.
Leaves alternate, elliptic in outline. Lower ones up to 10 inches long, lobed and irregularly toothed (similar to dandelion), with soft prickles, leaves narrow into winged stalks. Upper leaves smaller, with fewer lobes and teeth, short stalked to stalkless and clasping the stem. Leaves have a milky sap.
Root structure description
Deep, horizontal, creeping roots.
Flowers
Bright yellow, up to 1-1/2 inches across, in groups of heads at ends of branches. Flowers June to late September. Seeds small, rectangular, brown with lengthwise ridges and a tuft of white hairs on top end.
