Herbs 9-35(-55) cm tall, perennial. Caudex stout, simple or few branched, apically with black fibrous remains of petioles. Stem solitary, 2-4 mm in diam., erect, simple. Rosette and lower stem leaves petiolate; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 4-18(-27) × 0.9-2.5(-3.8) cm, both surfaces gland-dotted, abaxially glaucous green and glabrescent, adaxially green and scabrous, base cuneate, margin subentire to minutely denticulate, apex acute to acuminate. Middle stem leaves sessile, narrowly elliptic, 4-10 × 0.8-1.5 cm. Upper stem leaves narrowly elliptic and boat-shaped, 2-6 × 0.5-1.5 cm, half-enclosing synflorescence, both surfaces purple, margin entire. Capitula 1-4, solitary or in a congested corymbiform synflorescence, shortly pedunculate. Involucre campanulate to obconic, 1.5-2.5 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, straw-colored to purplish but with a dark margin, sparsely pilose, glabrescent, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate, 8-10 × 3-4 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 10-14 × 1.5-2.5 mm; inner phyllaries linear, 14-17 × 1-1.5 mm. Receptacle bristles 4-6 mm. Corolla purple, 1.3-1.7 cm, tube 5-9 mm, limb 6-8 mm, lobes 3-5 mm. Achene brown, cylindric, 3-3.5 mm. Pappus straw-colored; outer bristles 2-5 mm; inner bristles 1.1-1.3 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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