Herbs 30-60 cm tall, perennial. Stem erect, branched apically or rarely from basal portion, basally and middle usually purplish red, with long blackish stiff glandular hairs and pale curly weak hairs, leafy. Basal and lower stem leaves hairy particularly abaxially, margin mucronulately sinuate-dentate; terminal lobe triangular to triangular-ovate, 3.5-8 × 2.5-6 cm, basally cordate, truncate, or shortly cuneate and contracted into an unwinged or at least apically winged petiole-like rachis of 4-10 cm with 0-3 pairs of small sometimes indistinct triangular to ovate lateral lobes in upper portion, apex acute. Middle and upper stem leaves similar to lower stem leaves but without or with a short winged petiole-like rachis, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, small, base narrow to somewhat auriculately clasping. Synflorescence sparsely and ± distantly corymbiform, with 3-6 capitula. Capitula nodding, with 50-60 florets; peduncle usually long blackish pilose. Involucre campanulate, 1.5-1.7 × 1-1.5 cm. Phyllaries dark green to blackish, with long blackish stiff glandular hairs along midvein except in innermost ones and all ± with weak curly pale multicellular uniseriate hairs especially along margin and apically, apex acute; outer phyllaries rather few, linear-lanceolate, approaching inner ones in length; inner phyllaries many. Florets pale purple. Achene brown, ca. 8 mm, with several ribs, apex long attenuate and paler than remainder. Pappus yellowish, ca. 8 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.
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