Herbs, perennial, 30-70 cm tall, with capitate branches, gray arachnoid tomentose, later loosely tomentose or glabrescent. Lowermost and middle stem leaves: petiole 1-2 cm; leaf blade ovate, suborbicular, or broadly ovate; lowermost blade (1.5-)2-4(-6) × 1.5-4 cm, 1-or 2-pinnapartite, rarely-sect; segments 2 or 3(or 4) pairs; middle blade 2-5 × 2-4 cm, 2-pinnatisect; segments 3(or 4) pairs; lobules elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, rarely linear-lanceolate, (3-)5-10 × 1.5-2.5 mm, obtuse apically. Uppermost leaves pinnatisect; segments 2 pairs; leaflike bracts 3-5-sect. Capitula dense initially, lax later along branches in ± narrow panicles, oblong or oblong-ovoid, 2-2.5(-3) mm in diam. Marginal female florets 5-8. Disk florets 8-20, bisexual; corolla limb purple. Achenes oblong or obovoid-ellipsoid. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.
Slopes, roadsides, riverbanks, lakeshores; at elevations from 2,200-3,500 metres.
Home