Herbs 5-15(-30) cm tall. Stems 2 or 3, grayish white, erect or procumbent, simple or with 1 or 2 branches, tomentose to villous. Leaves grayish white, densely tomentose especially on abaxial side. Basal leaves petiolate; leaf blade elliptic, ca. 5 × 2-3 cm, pinnatisect; lateral segments 2-5 pairs, elliptic to ovate, margin entire; terminal segment ovate, larger than lateral segments. Stem leaves few, similar to basal leaves or undivided, narrowly elliptic to spatulate, margin entire. Capitulum 1(or 2). Involucre campanulate to obconic, 1-2 cm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 6 rows, appendage yellowish brown; outer phyllaries triangular to lanceolate, arachnoid; middle phyllaries ovate, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 4-10 × ca. 3 mm, glabrous; appendage of middle phyllaries broadly ovate, elliptic, or suborbicular, scarious, with 4-12 fimbriae on each side; inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate, ca. 11 × 1.5-2 mm; appendage of inner phyllaries suborbicular to spoon-shaped, lacerate. Outer florets sterile, radiant, longer than inner florets. Corolla purple to pink. Achene whitish, obliquely oblong, ca. 6 mm, with an entire apical rim. Outer pappus elements in several rows, bristlelike, to ca. 2 mm, scabrid to serrulate; inner pappus elements bristlelike to narrowly scalelike, ca. 1.5 mm, scabrid. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug. 2n = 30.
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