Herbs, perennial, 5-25 cm tall, ± caespitose; caudex branched. Stems several, sometimes single, erect or ascending, green or reddish, simple, sometimes branched, hirsute-villous (at least some crosswalls purple in upper part), strigillose, more densely so upward, eglandular. Leaves green, surfaces sparsely hirsute-villous, margin entire, sparsely villous-ciliate (some crosswalls yellow); basal rosulate, withered at anthesis, long petiolate, blade oblanceolate, 1.5-9.5 × 0.2-0.8(-1.3) cm, base attenuate, apex obtuse; cauline 2-8, lower identical to basal, short-winged petiolate, mid and upper sessile, blade lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 1-5(-7.5) × 0.2-0.8 cm, base ± subclasping, apex acute. Capitula solitary, rarely 2 or 3 in corymbiform synflorescences, 9-14 × 19-25 mm. Involucre hemispheric; phyllaries 3-seriate, apex purple, appressed, ± equaling disk florets, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, densely hirsute-villous at base (at least some with purple crosswalls), distally sparsely villous to glabrate, eglandular, membranous, apex acuminate, outer 4.2-5.2 × 0.5-0.6 mm, inner 5-9 × 0.6-1 mm, margin narrowly scarious. Ray florets purple, violet, or lilac, rarely white, 6.6-10 mm, tube 2-2.5 mm, lamina ca. 0.5 mm wide, hairy proximally, involute when dry; disk florets yellow, 3.5-4 mm, tube 1.5 mm, limb cylindric, abruptly ampliate, tube and limb hairy, lobes lanceolate, 0.3-0.4 mm, tip pink, anthers and style branches not exserted from corolla. Achenes narrowly oblong, ± compressed, 2-2.5 × ca. 0.6 mm, strigose. Pappus whitish, 2-seriate, outer bristles 0.2-0.4 mm, inner 3.6-4.5 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep.
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