Perennial herb 20-120 cm tall, with one or few stems from a woody rootstock (but once described as annual); stems sparsely crispate-pubescent, glabrescent.. Leaves alternate, sessile, the basal leaves obovate to oblong-elliptic, attenuate into a petioloid base, the cauline elliptic to narrowly (ob-)ovate, 4-11 cm long, 0.7-3.7 cm wide, base cuneate to rounded and semi-amplexicaul, serrate, apex obtusely shortly acuminate, sparsely shortly crispate-pubescent to hirtellous above and more densely so beneath, densely glandular.. Capitula solitary or few in often lax terminal corymbiform cymose clusters; stalks of individual capitula short to elongated, densely crispate-pubescent at least towards the apex; involucres hemispherical, 9-10 mm in diameter at flowering time; phyllaries usually deeply purple-tinged and darker in colour in upper part, 3-4-seriate, closely imbricate, ovate, acuminate-apiculate or apiculate-pungent, the inner (narrowly) ovate, more or less pungent, 9-10 mm long; all with pale rather pectinate-fimbriate margins.. Florets many; corolla purple or mauve, 7.5-8.5 mm long, lobes 2-3 mm long, glabrous or with a few glands.. Achenes pale with dark stripes (tubercles between the ribs), 1.5-2.2 mm long, 8-ribbed; pappus 2.5-2.8 mm long, caducous.
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