Herbs 2-5 cm tall, perennial, rosulate, ± acaulescent, with a taproot. Rosette shoot terminally hollow, inflated to secondary capitulum. Leaves with petiole 1-5 cm, basally widened; leaf blade of outer leaves undivided, broadly triangular, triangular-ovate, orbicular, or obovate, 0.5-2 × 0.5-1.5 cm; leaf blade of more inner leaves 1.5-7 × 1-2.5 cm, lyrately pinnatipartite to pinnatisect, margin sinuate-dentate or entire; lateral lobes 1-3 pairs, elliptic, semiorbicular, triangular, or suborbicular; terminal lobe elliptic, ovate, suborbicular, or triangular-ovate, 1-3 × 0.8-2.5 cm, base cordate to truncate, apex rounded to acute. Secondary capitulum (1-)2-7 cm in diam., with few to many sessile densely congested capitula with 1 elliptic subtending leaf. Capitula with 4-6 florets. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 1-1.4 × 0.4-0.5 cm. Phyllaries 5, in 1 row, equal, lanceolate, connate for basal 1/3-1/2. Florets purplish red to blue. Achene ca. 4 mm; body dark to blackish brown, obovoid, compressed, with winglike lateral ribs and 1 slender rib on either side, apex constricted into a ca. 0.5 mm fragile thin beak. Pappus single, ca. 8 mm, caducous with pappus disk. Fl. and fr. Aug. 2n = 16*.
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