Stems erect or strongly ascending, leafy mostly in proximal 2/3 of plant, openly forked distally, 5-12 dm, pubescent basally with minute curved hairs in 2 lines, spreading glandular-pilose distally. Leaves ascending at 10-60°, progressively reduced toward infloresence; petiole 0.8-3 cm; blade bright green, narrowly triangular-ovate to ovate, 3-10 × 0.8-4 cm, ± thin, base acute, obtuse, truncate, or cordate, apex acute to attenuate, or obtuse, often rounded at tip, surfaces glabrous or rarely puberulent. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, few branched, ± evenly forked and open; peduncle 2-9 mm, spreading glandular-villous, crosswalls of hairs dark purple or black; involucres blushed with dark violet or black, at least in median region, widely bell-shaped, 3-6 mm in flower, 4-7 mm in fruit, spreading viscid-villous, 40-50% connate, lobes oblong to ovate, apex broadly acute. Flowers 3 per involucre; perianth bright purple-pink, 0.9-1.2 cm. Fruits dark grayish to blackish brown, sometimes dark, dull, reddish brown, narrowly obovoid, 3-4 mm, spreading-pilose, hairs often apearing loosely shaggy and somewhat tufted, (0.1-)0.2-0.3 mm; ribs ± same color as sulci, low and round, 0.7-1 times width of sulci, 0.5 times as wide as high, slightly rugose or warty; sulci almost smooth to slightly rugose or with very low tubercules.
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