Herbs to 70 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, erect, apically few branched, usually narrowly winged in middle part, arachnoid. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 4-6 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate, 8-10 × 4-6 cm, abaxially grayish white or green and densely tomentose or glabrous, adaxially green and scabrid, base cordate to cuneate, margin denticulate, apex acute to obtuse. Middle stem leaves petiolate; petiole 1-2 cm, winged, base decurrent on stem; leaf blade ovate to narrowly elliptic, 5-7 × 1.5-2 cm. Upper stem leaves sessile, narrowly elliptic to linear, base decurrent, apex acute. Capitula 2-9, in a lax corymbiform synflorescence or sometimes solitary, pedunculate. Involucre campanulate-obconic, 1.2-1.5 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 or 6 rows, densely arachnoid tomentose; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate, 3-5 × 3-4 mm, apex acute and usually with a dark mucro; middle phyllaries ovate, 5-10 × 2-3 mm, apex acute to obtuse; inner phyllaries narrowly ovate, 12-14 × 1-1.5 mm, apex obtuse. Corolla bluish purple, 1.3-1.4 cm, tube 6-7 mm, limb 6.5-7 mm, lobes 3-3.5 mm. Achene brown, ca. 3 mm, glabrous. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles 1-2 mm, scabrid; inner bristles 1-1.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.
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