Herbs, perennial, 10-50 cm tall, sparsely shortly arachnoid, rapidly glabrescent (glabrous or glabrate), upper part sparsely shortly arachnoid. Stems solitary or several, erect or ascending. Leaves dense, sessile, green, not gland-dotted, base attenuate or cuneate, margin revolute, scabridulous, apex acuminate or sometimes obtuse (lower), mucronate; lower linear-lanceolate, to 0.4 cm wide, 3-veined; mid and upper usually linear, 2-4 × 0.1-0.2(-0.3) cm, 1-veined; uppermost (on synflorescence branches) numerous, reduced, bractlike. Capitula numerous, in lax corymbiform synflorescences, 8-18 × 10-15 mm. Involucre broadly obconic, 5-7 × 8-12 mm; phyllaries 4-or 5-seriate, greenish, often pinkish at tip, abaxially glabrate, membranous, margin narrowly scarious, erose, shortly arachnoid ciliate, sometimes keeled or rounded, thickened, 1-veined, outer ovate-lanceolate, apex acute, inner longer, oblong-lanceolate, apex rounded or obtuse. Ray florets 10-15, pinkish violet, lamina oblong, 13-15 × 2-3 mm; disk florets 10-35, pale yellow, 6-7 mm, limb funnelform, lobes lanceolate. Achenes oblong, 3.5-5 mm, white strigose, 3-ribbed. Pappus yellowish, 5-7 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep.