A medium-sized plant forming a many-leaved rosette of leaves with a skeletal outline, at least until after flowering, but heterophyllous and then forming broader lunate lobes similar to T. lunare. Leaves slightly greyish in hue, shortly hairy, ascending. Petioles unwinged, white below but sometimes pinkish above, at least in British material. Leaf side-lobes 4-6, patent to slightly recurved, forming very narrow acute processes from a broader, usually long-dentate base. Leaf end-lobe forming a long and very narrow and acute, sometimes subdivided, process. Exterior bracts rather broad, 3.5-4.5 mm wide, recurved, pale, unbordered. Styles yellowish when dry.   A very distinct species in its early stages, most likely to be confused with T. stenacrum, but more skeletal and with much more needle-like processes. There is some doubt whether British material is identical to that from the continent, having pinkish petioles in some circumstances, but our material does seem to be adventive and not native.