A. Lappa: biennial; stems stout, erect, branching, 3-5 feet high; leaves heart-shaped, large, sometimes 1 1/2 feet in length, the upper ones broadly ovate, green above, white and cottony beneath; flower-heads in terminal panicles; involucres nearly globular, the bracts numerous with spiny hooked points, glabrous or covered with loose, white, cottony wool; florets purple, equal. - Waste places, roadsides, etc. Fl. July, August. This varies much in the size of the flower-heads and in some other points, and is sometimes divided into five species.