Perennials, 2–10 cm; taprooted, caudices with relatively short and thick branches. Stems erect, hispido-hirsutulous to hirsute (hairs spreading, stiff, usually of unequal lengths, relatively thick-based), minutely glandular. Leaves mostly basal (persistent) (petioles prominently ciliate, hairs thick-based, spreading); blades linear-oblanceolate, 20–40 × 1–2(–3) mm, margins entire, often coarsely spreading-ciliate, faces hispido-hirsute to hirsute or glabrous, abaxial sometimes glabrous, sometimes sparsely minutely glandular; cauline abruptly reduced, restricted to proximal 1 / 3 of stems. Heads 1. Involucres 5–8 × 7–13 mm. Phyllaries in 2–3(–4) series, densely villous proximally, hirsute to hirsuto-villous, minutely glandular. Ray florets 15–35; corollas usually blue to purplish, rarely white, 5–10 mm, laminae coiling. Disc corollas 3.9–5.5 mm. Cypselae 2.2–2.8 mm, 2-nerved, faces sparsely strigose to glabrate; pappi: outer of setae, bristles, or scales, inner of 15–23 bristles.
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