Cicerbita macrorhiza (Royle) Beauv. in Bull. Soc. Bot. Geneve, Ser. 2, 2: 120. 1910. Mulgedium macrorhizum Royle, Ill. Bot. Himal. 251. t. 61. f. 1. 1835. Lactuca macrorhiza (Royle) Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 3: 408. 1881, p.p. Cicerbita macrorhiza (Royle) Beauv. var. saxatilis (Edgew.) Beauv. in Bull. Soc. Bot. Geneve, Ser. 2,2: 135. 1910.

Herbs, perennial with elongated root stock; stems 12 - 45 cm high, few or many from the rootstock, branched from the base or rarely unbranched. Leaves variable, 10 - 30 x 1.5 - 4.5 cm; lower leaves entire or sometimes with toothed auricle, with dilated or winged petiole; terminal lobe; large, rounded; terminal leaves sometimes entire. Heads 1 - 1.8 x 0.5 - 0.9 cm, terminating the branches; peduncle 1.0 - 5.5 cm or more long, bracteate. Involucral bracts many seriate passing into the inner; outer bracts ovate or ovate- lanceolate, 3.0 - 5.5 x 1.0 - 2.0 mm; inner often blackish, linear-oblong or linear, 10 - 15 x 1.5 - 2.5 mm. Ligules violet, purple or pink. Anthers bluish. Stigma purplish. Achenes dark brown or black, flat, elliptic-lanceolate, 5 - 7 mm long, smooth. Pappus silvery white or pale, 4 - 5 mm long, simple.

Fl. & Fr. June - Nov.

Distrib. India: W. Himalayas and E. Himalayas, on rocks and slopes in moist and shady situations, 2000-4500 m. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, W. Bengal and Manipur.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Iran.