Herbs 20-85 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, purple, erect, simple or apically few branched, glabrous. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole 7-9 cm; leaf blade narrowly ovate-elliptic to oblong, 8-15 × 1-1.5 cm, abaxially pale green, glabrous, adaxially green and glabrous or sparsely strigose on veins, base cuneate-attenuate, margin serrulate-denticulate, apex caudate-acuminate. Lower stem leaves broadly linear, base attenuate into a winged petiole, apex caudate-acuminate. Middle and upper stem leaves sessile, narrowly ovate-elliptic to oblong, basally slightly narrowed, base auriculate and amplexicaul, apex caudate-acuminate. Capitula 2-4, terminal on stem or branches in a lax corymbiform synflorescence or sometimes solitary, long pedunculate. Involucre campanulate, 1.2-2 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, leathery; outer phyllaries ovate, 8-9 × 4-7 mm, apex acuminate and reflexed; middle phyllaries oblong, ca. 12 × 4 mm; inner phyllaries linear, ca. 15 × 2 mm, apex acute. Corolla purple, ca. 1.6 cm, tube ca. 9 mm, limb ca. 6 mm. Achene cylindric, ca. 3 mm, ribbed, glabrous. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles ca. 3 mm; inner bristles ca. 1.3 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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