Herbs, annual, 8-30 cm tall, spreading, taprooted. Stems branched from base; branches decumbent to ascending, ± densely strigose, stipitate glandular, especially above. Basal leaves withered by anthesis, winged petiolate, base of petiole clasping, blade oblanceolate, base gradually attenuate; cauline leaves sessile or indistinctly petiolate; blade linear, oblong, oblanceolate, or spatulate, 0.7-3.5 × 0.2-0.5 cm, strigose, stipitate glandular, base attenuate, margin entire, strigose-ciliate, apex obtuse or acute. Capitula solitary or few at ends of branches, 1.5-2.5 cm in diam. Involucres hemispheric, 1-1.5 cm in diam.; phyllaries 2-or 3-seriate, green, subequal, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 5-7 × 0.8-1.8 mm, herbaceous, abaxially stipitate glandular, sparsely villous-strigose, acuminate, margin glandular, of inner phyllaries scarious, erose. Ray florets 25-40, purplish or bluish, tube 1.5-2.1 mm, tube and lamina base sparsely hairy, lamina 10-11 × 1.2-2 mm; disk florets yellow, 3.5-4 mm, tube 1-1.2 mm, sparsely hairy, limb campanulate, lobes unequal, 4 short, 0.6-0.9 mm, 1 long, 1.1-1.3 mm, glabrous. Achenes of ray florets pale olive green and black mottled to black, obovoid, ± compressed, 2-2.5 × 1-1.2 mm, strigose, sparsely glandular apically, faintly 2-or 3-ribbed; of disk florets straw-colored, ± black mottled, obovate to oblanceolate, flattened, 2.2-2.3 mm, strigose, markedly 2-ribbed. Pappus of ray florets 1-seriate, scales 0.3-0.5 mm; of disk florets 2-seriate, reddish; outer bristles ca. 0.5 mm; inner bristles ± stiff, 3.3-3.7 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
Home