Home
Leaves sessile, mostly 2–7 x 0.5–3 cm., ovate to narrowly elliptic, acute to ± acuminate at the apex, cuneate to rounded or subcordate below, margins subentire to sharply serrate; lamina membranous and sparsely puberulous, sometimes scabridulous on the upper surface, the hairs flagelliform ± scattered and becoming rigid on the leaf upper surface, usually confined to main veins on lower surface, appressed short-stalked T-shaped hairs sometimes present, glandular-punctate; main nerves prominent below.
Achenes 2–2.5 mm. long, subcylindric to narrowly obovoid, truncate at the apex, 4–5-angular and narrowly ribbed on the angles, with scattered brownish cells on the faces between, otherwise glabrous; pappus 2-seriate, the outer series reduced to a low rim-like structure, the inner of many brown caducous somewhat flattened barbellate setae 0.75–5 mm. long.
Stems solitary, or 2–3 together, simple, ± densely leafy hispid-pubescent; indumentum a mixture of long-stalked flagelliform hairs and short-stalked appressed unequal-armed T-shaped hairs.
Phyllaries many-seriate, tapering-pungent at the apex, finely sparsely puberulous, ciliolate; the outer from c. 5 mm. long, subulate, the inner to 10 mm. long becoming linear-lanceolate.
A stiffly erect perennial herb to c. 40 cm. tall, with annual stems from a small woody rootstock or slender woody rhizome; roots thong-like, each usually swelling into a root-tuber.
Capitula solitary, terminal; involucres 9–12 x 14–20 mm., very broadly obconic-campanulate to cup-shaped, ± truncate at the base.
Corollas purple, 7–8 mm. long, funnel-shaped, deeply-lobed.
