Annual or perennial herb 10–30 cm high, with “strong unpleasant smell” (fide Vollesen); stems glandular and (especially around nodes) pilose.. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, 1–6 cm long, 0.1–0.6 cm wide, base attenuate and slightly decurrent, margins revolute and in the larger leaves with a few minute teeth, apex acute, densely pilose with the margins slightly scabrid through the small teeth, densely glandular.. Capitula 6–10 mm long, terminal and solitary, but the whole plant resembling a leafy panicle; capitula on glandular stalks of 0.6–3 cm long; phyllaries in several series, becoming recurved after anthesis, narrowly lanceolate, 4–8 mm long, 0.3–0.6 mm wide, attenuate, the outer with many stalked glands, the innermost longest, shiny white turning pale mauve or purple and papery; receptacle flat to slightly convex, with minute raised bumps.. Outer florets distally pale purple or mauve, many (> 50), tube filiform, 3.5–3.8 mm long, minutely toothed distally; style mauve, 4.5–5.2 mm long with branches ± 1 mm long; central florets ± 17, tube 4.2–4.5 mm long, gradually widening from a filiform base to 0.5 mm wide mouth, lobes 0.6–0.7 mm long, glandular and with porrect hairs; anthers 2.4–2.5 mm long with short tails and a 0.5 mm long narrowly ovate distal appendage, style 6–6.7 mm long, with distal part and branches covered in small hairs.. Achenes cylindrical, 0.5–0.6 mm long, short-hairy; pappus of very few (3–7) barbellate bristles 4–5 mm long.
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