Herbs 40-50 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, stout, erect, apically branched, sparsely lanate. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 6-12 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate, cordate, or reniform, 3-11 × 7-10(-17) cm, abaxially grayish white and densely lanate, adaxially yellowish green and glabrous or sparsely pilose, base cordate, margin dentate, apex rounded to emarginate. Middle and upper stem leaves petiolate; petiole 0.5-5 cm; leaf blade ovate, triangular-ovate, or ovate-elliptic, gradually smaller upward on stem, base cordate, truncate, or cuneate, apex acute to acuminate. Capitula numerous, in a corymbiform synflorescence. Involucre campanulate, 6-10 mm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 5 rows, leathery, densely white lanate, apex with a blackish purple mucro; outer phyllaries ovate, ca. 4 × 3 mm; middle phyllaries oblong, ca. 7 × 3 mm; inner phyllaries oblong to narrowly elliptic-linear, 8-10 × 1-2.5 mm. Corolla pale purple, 1-1.2 cm, tube 5-6 mm, limb 4-5 mm, lobes 3-4 mm. Achene brown, cylindric, 4-5 mm, glabrous. Pappus pale brown; outer bristles 2-3 mm, scabrid; inner bristles 8-9 mm. Fl. and fr. Sep-Oct.
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