Subscapose perennial herb 40–120 cm tall; stems with sparse crispate hairs.. Leaves mostly radical or subradical, elliptic or oblanceolate, 4–8 cm long, 0.6–2.2 cm wide, base attenuate or cuneate, serrate or crenulate-serrulate, apex acute, shortly crispate-pubescent above and especially on veins beneath, the stem leaves smaller, relatively few and rapidly decreasing in size up the stem.. Capitula more or less congested in small clusters in dense to somewhat lax terminal compound corymbiform cymes; stalks of individual capitula densely crispate-pubescent, bracteolate, bracteoles linear, pubescent; involucre obconic, 5–7 mm long, 3–5 mm in diameter at flowering time; phyllaries lanceolate, 3–8 mm long, purplish in the upper part, erect or recurving, attenuate or filiform-attenuate, pungent, shortly pubescent.. Corolla purple, 9 mm long, lobes 3 mm long, with a few short apical hairs.. Achenes (immature) angled, 1.8 mm long, slightly pubescent; pappus double, outer of short free triangular laciniate scales 0.8 mm long, inner of brownish, shortly barbellate flattened setae 2–2.3 mm long.
Home