Perennial herb with small rootstock and numerous fleshy roots; stems erect, 15–120 cm tall, thickly white-tomentose, ± glabrescent, sometimes also with usually dark-coloured glandular setae.. Leaves cauline, sessile, ovate, lanceolate, elliptic or obovate to oblanceolate, 5–22 cm long, 1.5–11 cm wide, rounded to cuneate to a narrow exauriculate or ± expanded auriculate and semi-amplexicaul base, finely serrulate or denticulate or serrate, rounded to acute, shortly apiculate, whitish or greyish tomentose beneath, rarely ± glabrescent and sometimes glandular-setulose on midrib and main veins, at first ± tomentose, usually glabrescent or rarely scattered-setulose above; lowermost leaves sometimes reduced.. Capitula radiate, usually solitary, on short stout to long slender tomentose ebracteate or 1–2-bracteate stalks; involucre subglobose to campanulate-cylindrical, at first ± araneose, glabrescent, brownish, 10–16(–22) mm long; phyllaries ± 25–40, 3–5-seriate, subequal, 9–18 mm long, lanceolate or oblong, marginally laciniate-dentate; receptacle scales lanceolate or narrowly triangular to oblong, acute, with laciniate-dentate sometimes slightly expanded apices, 10.5–16.5 mm long.. Ray florets 8–18; corolla 18–36 mm long; rays brilliant scarlet to deep carmine red, oblong, apically 3-toothed or shortly to deeply sometimes unequally 3-lobed, 12–25 mm long; disc florets 40–80; corolla like the rays in colour, 12–15 mm long, lobes narrowly oblong, 4.5–6 mm long, anthers brown, style red.. Achenes 5–7 mm long, finely puberulous; pappus bristles apically narrowed, acute, 6.5–8 mm long.. Fig. 7.
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