Plants erect to spreading, 1-3 × 1-6 dm, villous. Leaves basal or nearly so; petiole 1-3 cm; blade broadly oblanceolate, 1-2.5(-5) × 0.4-0.8(-1.2) cm, usually villous. Inflorescences with secondary branches suppressed, grayish; bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 1-3 cm × 6-10 mm, awns absent. Involucres 1, grayish, cylindric, not ventricose,3-4(-4.5) mm, with white, scarious margins between teeth, finely corrugate, thinly pubescent; teeth erect, equal, 0.3-0.7(-1) mm; awns straight, with longer ones 0.7-1.3 mm and anterior one mostly 1.3 mm, these alternating with shorter, 0.5-1(-1.2) mm ones. Flowers exserted; perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to lavender or rose, cylindric, (4-)5-6 mm, pubescent on proximal 1/ 1/4 their length, dimorphic, oblong, truncate and erose to denticulate, sometimes individual lobes entire, 2-lobed or even cuspidate apically, those of outer lobes longer and wider than inner ones; stamens 9, included; filaments distinct, 2-4.5 mm, glabrous; anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 0.6-0.8(-1) mm. Achenes light brown, lenticular-globose, 3-4.5 mm.
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