Herbs 5-12(-18) cm tall, perennial, stemless or shortly stemmed. Caudex to 1.5 cm in diam., simple or few branched. Rosette leaves petiolate; petiole 3-9 cm; leaf blade elliptic, narrowly obovate, or spatulate, 4-9 × 1.2-2 cm, both surfaces green and densely gland-dotted but otherwise glabrous, base attenuate, margin entire or shallowly undulate, apex acute to obtuse. Capitulum solitary, in center of leaf rosette or terminal on stem and subtended by bracts. Involucre campanulate or broadly cylindric, 2-3 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, leathery, glabrous, margin purplish and scarious; outer and middle phyllaries ovate, narrowly ovate, or ovate-elliptic, 1.5-3 × 0.5-0.8(-1) cm, apex obtuse; inner phyllaries elliptic to broadly linear, 3-3.5 × 0.3-0.4 cm, apex acute to acuminate. Corolla purplish red, 3-3.5 cm, tube ca. 2.7 cm, limb 8-9 mm, lobes 3.5-4 mm. Style branches 3-4 mm, slender, divergent. Achene trigonous or quadrangular, 4-6 mm, glabrous. Pappus bristles in ca. 2 rows, dirty white to pale yellowish brown, barbellate, 2.5-3.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.
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