Herbs 0.6-1.5 cm tall, perennial. Rhizomes thick, woody. Stem solitary, erect, branched from middle or apically. Basal and lower stem leaves with petiole 8-9 cm, winged, semiamplexicaul; leaf blade oblanceolate, to 16[-50] × 7-8[-9] cm, lyrately pinnatipartite to lyrately pinnatisect, margin coarsely mucronulately dentate; lateral lobes 2 or 3 pairs, elliptic; terminal lobe larger than lateral lobes, triangular-hastate, to 9 × 8 cm, apex acute to acuminate. Middle stem leaves sessile, auriculately clasping, similar to lower stem leaves. Upper stem leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, smaller, less or not divided. Synflorescence narrowly racemiform to 50 cm, with many capitula often clustered at nodes. Capitula with usually 10-20 florets; peduncle wiry, 1-3(-5) cm. Involucre broadly cylindric to campanulate, ca. 1.2 cm at anthesis, to 1.5 × 0.8 cm in fruit. Phyllaries glabrous or sparsely pubescent; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate to lanceolate, largest 7-9 × 1.5-2 mm; inner phyllaries ca. 8. Florets pale purple [to blue]. Achene brown, narrowly ellipsoid, ca. 5 mm, somewhat compressed, lateral ribs somewhat broadened, apex truncate. Pappus double, outer hairs 0.2-0.4 mm, bristles 6-7 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep. 2n = 18.
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