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Perennial, ± tufted, erect herb, up to 60 cm. Some stems flowering, some sterile, usually unbranched, subglabrous or shortly pubescent near the base. Leaves on flowering shoots grass-green, narrowly elliptic, often shortly petiolate, finely serrate-ciliate, 6-12 by 1.2-4 cm, the lower obtuse, the upper acuminate to acute. Flowers many together in a head, most often very dense, but sometimes with more elongate branching; pedicels 0.5-2 mm; bracts herbaceous, as long as or longer than inflorescence; bracteoles 4(-6), as long as calyx or longer, finely serrate-ciliate, the outer narrow, the inner long acuminate from a broad base. Calyx 15-18 mm long, cylindrical, teeth 8-9 mm, acute to ob-tuse, long aristate. Petals pink to dark red, 10-15 mm long, fine and irregularly dentate, finely barbate, very variable in cultivated forms.
Tufted perennial. Flowering stems erect, glabrous, 15-30-(60) cm tall; non-flowering stems usually present at flowering. Basal lvs soft, spreading, oblanceolate, acute or subacute, bright green, glabrous except for short coarse cilia c. 0.1 mm long on margin, 2-10 × 1-2 cm; cauline lvs similar, erecto-patent, becoming smaller above. Fls in clusters of 15-30 or more; pedicels < calyx. Epicalyx scales 4, ovate, awned, c. = calyx. Calyx cylindric, not narrowed at apex, glabrous, 15-20 mm long; teeth narrow-triangular, acuminate, 4-6 mm long; margins ciliate. Petals white, pink or red, often patterned, shortly dentate, bearded. Carpophore 3-4 mm long; capsule 10-15 mm long. Seeds ovate, black, c. 2.5 mm long.
Stout, glabrous perennial 3–6 dm; cauline lvs 5–10 pairs, lanceolate to oblanceolate, mostly 6–10 × 1–2 cm, acute or acuminate, the basal ones wider; infl a many-fld head with narrow, leafy bracts; cal glabrous, 15–18 mm, ca 40-nerved; pet-blade whitish to dark red, 5–10 mm, broad, toothed around the broad summit; fr 1 cm; 2n=30. Native of Eurasia, occasionally escaped from cult. especially in the n. part of our range. June–Aug.
A herb that will keep growing from year to year. The stem curve upwards to 25 cm high. The leaf blades are narrow and spoon shaped. They are 10 cm long and 2 cm wide. The flowers are in dense heads near the ends of the branches.
