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Phyllaries many-seriate, narrowly acute-pungent or finely tapering to a bristle tip, pilose with appressed short-stalked hairs intermixed with few to numerous larger patent flagelliform hairs; the outer phyllaries from c. 2 mm. long, very narrowly lanceolate, the inner to c. 6 mm. long, lanceolate, or phyllaries subequal to c. 8 mm. long and linear-lanceolate or subulate.
Achenes 1.5–2 mm. long, subcylindric to narrowly turbinate, truncate at the apex, c. 4-angular and narrowly ribbed on the angles, with scattered brownish cells on the faces between, otherwise glabrous; pappus 2-seriate, the outer reduced to a low rim of small ± free or united lacerate scales, inner pappus of caducous brown barbellate setae 1–2 mm. long.
Stems purple, usually solitary, branching sparsely above or throughout, leafy except below, puberulous; indumentum a mixture of relatively few long-stalked flagelliform hairs, and more numerous short-stalked appressed ± unequal-armed T-shaped hairs.
An erect perennial herb 20–40 cm. tall, with annual stems from a small woody rootstock; roots short thong-like, each swelling abruptly into a root tuber; tubers 1.5–2.5 x 0.5–1 cm., ovoid-fusiform.
Capitula few to many, solitary on branches up to c. 6 cm. long and somewhat racemose, or in ± lax capitulum-clusters cymosely arranged.
Involucres 5–10 x 9–11 mm., very broadly obconic-campanulate to broadly cup-shaped, wider than long.
Corollas purple, 5–6 mm. long, narrowly funnel-shaped.
Florets c. 70 per capitulum.
