Cirsium verutum (D. Don) Spreng., Syst. Veg. 3: 370. 1826. Cnicus verutus D. Don, Prodr. Fl . Nepal. 167. 1825. Cirsium involucratum ex DC., Prodr. 6: 639. 1838. C. involucratum DC. var. horridum (Hook.f.) Balakr., Fl. Jowai 1: 256. 1981. Cnicus involucratus (DC.) Hook.f. var. horrida Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 3: 362. 1881.

Herbs, erect, 0.3 - 1.8 m tall, stout, branched above. Radical leaves pinnatifid to middle or deeper, ca 30 cm long setulose above, white tomentose beneath, teeth and lobes spinescent; cauline broader, ovate or lanceolate, cordate-amplexicaul, pinnatifid. Heads solitary or fascicled, 3.5 - 6.0 cm across, inclined, involucrate. Involucral bracts glabrate, ending in slender, erect or subrecurved spines, or a few innermost linear acuminate. Corolla ca 2.5 cm long, glabrous. Achenes, obovoid-oblong, ca 5 mm long. Pappus brown ca 1.5 cm long.

Fl. & Fr. Aug. - Dec.

Distrib. India: Himalayas, in pine forests, open wastelands and grasslands, 1200- 4000 m. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya.

Notes. Hook.f. (1881) described the variety horrida on the basis of densely setulose and strong spines on leaves.