Herbs 7-12 cm tall, perennial, monocarpic, stemless or shortly stemmed. Taproot conic, fleshy. Caudex covered with remains of petioles. Rosette and stem leaves petiolate; petiole 0.5-3.5 cm, straw-colored with purple wings, widened at base; leaf blade narrowly elliptic-oblong to linear, 2-8 × 0.2-0.8 cm, abaxially pale or grayish green and thinly arachnoid to densely villous, adaxially green and glabrous, margin often revolute and entire or sparsely dentate, apex acuminate. Capitulum solitary, in center of leaf rosette. Involucre hemispheric to broadly campanulate, 3-4(-5) cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, straw-colored, apically and near margin dark purple, sparsely pilose, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 1.5-1.7 × 0.4-0.6 cm; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 1.8-2 × 0.3-0.4 cm; inner phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 2-2.3 × 0.2-0.3 cm. Receptacle bristles brownish, subulate, 2-3 mm, hyaline. Corolla bluish purple, 1.9-2.1 cm, tube 1.3-1.4 cm, limb 6-7 mm, lobes 3-4.5 mm. Achene brown with a blackish wavy pattern, rectangular, 7-8 mm, 4-angled, wrinkled, glabrous. Pappus straw-colored; outer bristles (2-)4-6 mm; inner bristles 1.4-1.6 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug.
Home