Herbs 7-45 cm tall, perennial. Caudex branched, covered with fibrous remains of leaf sheaths, sterile leaf rosettes, and flowering stems. Stem solitary, erect, simple. Rosette and basal leaves sessile, narrowly linear, 3-10(-15) × ca. 0.1 cm, abaxially white and densely sericeous, adaxially green and glabrous, basally widened and sheathing stem, margin revolute and entire. Stem leaves similar to basal leaves. Capitulum solitary, terminal on stem. Involucre broadly campanulate, ca. 2 cm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 4 rows, apically purple, densely brown and white villous; outer phyllaries ovate-elliptic, 7-8 × 2-3 mm, apically usually reflexed, apex long acuminate; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 8-10 × 2-3 mm; inner phyllaries narrowly ovate to linear, 10-12 × 1-1.5 mm. Receptacle bristles 4-5 mm. Corolla purple to pink, 1.2-1.4 cm, sometimes gland-dotted, tube 6-7 mm, limb 5-7 mm, lobes 3.5-4 mm. Achene obconic, 3.5-4 mm, glabrous, apex with a denticulate crown. Pappus yellowish brown; outer bristles 1-2 mm, barbellate to plumose; inner bristles 0.9-1.1 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep. 2n = 30*.
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