Herbs, perennial, 35-40 cm tall; rhizomes stout, somewhat woody. Stems erect, thick, shallowly canaliculate, simple, base with marcescent leaf remains, hirsute-villous, short-stipitate glandular. Leaves basal and cauline; cauline leaves sparse, densely hirsute-villous, often short-stipitate glandular, ± thick, margin entire, midvein abaxially prominent, 3-veined, veins subparallel; basal and lower cauline leaves crowded, winged petiolate; blade oblong-spatulate to oblanceolate, 4-6.5 × 0.6-1.2 cm, base attenuate, apex rounded or obtuse, rarely ± acute; middle leaves oblong to lanceolate, 3-5 × 0.6-0.8 cm, base often cuneate or subrounded, subclasping; upper leaves small, lanceolate to linear, apex acute. Capitula terminal, solitary, 4.5-5.5 cm in diam. Involucres not described; phyllaries 2-or 3-seriate, equal, purple tipped, oblong or oblanceolate, 9-10 × ca. 2 mm, abaxially densely hirsute-villous, margin ciliate; outer phyllaries leaflike, apex obtuse or rounded; inner phyllaries with margin scarious, erose, apex acute. Ray floret 30-40, blue-purple, tube 1.1-2 mm, lamina 15-20 mm; disk florets yellow, 5-7 mm, tube 1.1-1.4 mm, tube and limb hairy, limb funnelform, lobes lanceolate, 1.1-1.5 mm, glabrous, often purple. Achenes (immature) ca. 2.5 mm, strigillose. Pappus 3-seriate, reddish; outer bristles slender, ca. 1 mm; inner bristles ca. 4 mm, acute; innermost bristles 4.5-5.5 mm, clavate. Fl. Jul.
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