Herbs 50-60 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, erect, apically branched, basally strigose. Basal and lower stem leaves sessile, obovate to elliptic, 8-15 × 4-6 cm, abaxially pale green and sparsely arachnoid or glabrous but sparsely strigose on veins, adaxially green and scabrid but glabrescent, base semiamplexicaul and decurrent, margin basally pinnately lobed and apically coarsely dentate, apex acuminate. Middle and upper stem leaves sessile, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, gradually smaller upward on stem, base cuneate and semiamplexicaul, margin coarsely sinuate-dentate to subentire, apex acuminate. Capitula 2-7, in a racemiform to corymbiform synflorescence or solitary, long pedunculate. Involucre hemispheric, 1.5-2.5 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4-6 rows, brownish, leathery, sparsely arachnoid, apically usually patent or reflexed; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate, 4-5 × 2-2.5 mm, apex long acuminate; middle phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 5-10 × 2-3 mm, apex long acuminate; inner phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 10-11 × 1.5-2 mm, apex shortly acuminate. Corolla bluish purple, 1.2-1.4 cm, tube 6-7 mm, limb 6-7 mm, lobes 3.5-4 mm. Achene cylindric, ca. 3 mm, glabrous. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles ca. 2 mm; inner bristles 8-10 mm. Fl. and fr. Sep-Oct.
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