Herbs, perennial, 11-50 cm tall, from woody caudices, rhizomatous. Stems erect or ascending, simple, reddish strigillose, minutely stipitate glandular. Leaves cauline, gradually increased in size upward; lowest leaves withered by anthesis, sessile, oblanceolate, scabridulous, minutely stipitate glandular, (sometimes glabrous), margin entire or 1-7-serrulate to coarsely serrate, scabridulous-ciliate, midvein slightly prominent adaxially, apex acute, mucronulate; middle to upper leaves oblanceolate, 1.6-4(-6) × 0.4-1.7(-2) cm, base attenuate to cuneate; synflorescence leaves oblanceolate, 1.4-1.6 × 0.2-0.4 cm. Capitula 1-20 in terminal, corymbiform to paniculate-corymbiform synflorescences, rarely solitary; peduncles 30-70 mm, strigillose; bracts oblanceolate, entire, upper bracts closely subtending capitula. Involucres campanulate, 5-7 mm; phyllaries 2-or 3-seriate, subequal, base hardened, margin erose, ciliate, green in distal 1/3, conspicuous midvein slightly translucent; outer phyllaries narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 5-6 × 1.5-2.5 mm, midvein sparsely to moderately strigillose, proximally minutely stipitate glandular, both surfaces densely so upward, leaflike distally, margin narrowly scarious, apex sometimes spreading, acute, ciliate; middle phyllaries oblong, 5-6 × 1.3-1.8 mm, abaxially proximally sparsely and distally densely minutely stipitate glandular, leaflike in distal 1/4 to only tip, margin ± broadly scarious, apex obtuse, mucronate, distal margin and apex purplish; inner phyllaries linear-oblong, 6-7 × 0.8-1 mm, scarious, apex sometimes purplish. Ray florets 25-30, blue, mauve, or pink, tube sparsely strigillose, lamina 13-16 × 1-2 mm, eglandular; disk florets yellow, 4.5-5 mm, tube apex and limb base sparsely strigillose, sparsely minutely stipitate glandular, limb campanulate, 2.5-3 mm, lobes erect, tip spreading, triangular to narrowly triangular, 1.2-1.5 mm, sparsely strigillose, eglandular. Achenes obovoid, ± compressed, 3-3.5 mm, sparsely to moderately strigillose, sparsely minutely stipitate glandular apically, 2-ribbed. Pappus 3-seriate, dirty white, of slender, barbellate bristles; outer bristles 0.3-1.1 mm; inner bristles 3-3.5 mm, tapering; innermost bristles 4.5-5 mm, tapering. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
Can be grown by cuttings or divisions. Seeds needs stratification.
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