Herbs 10-70 cm tall, perennial. Roots fibrous. Stems solitary or few, erect, apically branched, usually with short sterile shoots in leaf axils. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 1.5-6 cm; leaf blade oblong to ovate-oblong, to 15 × 1.5-4 cm, pinnately lobed or lyrate-pinnately lobed, abaxially grayish white or green, arachnoid tomentose or glabrous, and gland-dotted, adaxially green, scabrous, and strigose or glabrous. Middle stem leaves shortly petiolate or sessile; leaf blade ovate to elliptic, 3-10 × 0.5-3 cm, undivided, margin entire or dentate, apex acuminate. Upper stem leaves narrowly ovate-elliptic to linear, 3-8 mm wide. Capitula numerous, in a corymbiform or paniculiform synflorescence. Involucre cylindric, 5-8 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 rows, yellowish green, apically purple, sparsely arachnoid, gland-dotted; outer phyllaries ovate, 2-3 × 1.5-2 mm, apex shortly acuminate; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate, 3-8 × 1.5-3 mm, apex shortly acuminate; inner phyllaries linear, 8-10 × 1.5-2 mm, apex obtuse. Receptacle bristles to 7 mm. Corolla purple, 1.1-1.4 cm, tube 6-8 mm, limb 5-6 mm, lobes 2.5-4 mm. Achene brown, cylindric, 3-5 mm, glabrous. Pappus white; outer bristles 2-4 mm; inner bristles 1-1.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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