Herbs 20-30 cm tall, perennial. Stems solitary or 2, erect, simple, covered at base with fibrously lacerate remains of petioles. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 1-7 cm; leaf blade oblong to narrowly obovate-elliptic, 4-18 × 1-3 cm, runcinate-pinnately lobed, abaxially pale green, subglabrous, adaxially green; lateral lobes 4-10 pairs, narrowly triangular to semiorbicular, 3-15 × 3-18 mm, margin mucronate-dentate, apex acute. Middle and upper stem leaves 1 or 2, smaller than lower leaves. Capitulum solitary, terminal on stem. Involucre campanulate, 0.8-1.7 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 or 6 rows, apically blackish green to purple, apex acute to acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, ca. 10 × 4 mm; inner phyllaries ca. 1.9 × 0.3 cm. Receptacle bristles 5-11 mm. Corolla purple, 1.8-2.3 cm, lobes 3.5-6 mm. Achene cylindric, 3.5-4.5[-6] mm, ribbed, smooth, glabrous, apex with a short crown. Pappus brown; outer bristles 2-3(-6) mm, plumose; inner bristles 1.3-1.8 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 32.
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