Herbs 40-60 cm tall, perennial. Rhizome stout, simple, apically covered with brown residue of petioles. Stem solitary, erect, apically branched, arachnoid lanate. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 8-11 cm, wingless or narrowly winged, 1-3-lobed or dentate; leaf blade ovate to elliptic, 7-18 × 4-10 cm, papery, abaxially grayish green and densely tomentose, adaxially green and glabrous, base cordate to rarely truncate, margin sinuate to sinuate-lobate, apex acute to acuminate. Middle and upper stem leaves few; petiole 1-4 cm; leaf blade ovate to elliptic, gradually smaller upward on stem. Capitula numerous, in a paniculiform or corymbiform synflorescence, pedunculate. Involucre narrowly campanulate, 8-10 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 6 or 7 rows, arachnoid, apex black, acuminate to acute, and mucronate; outer phyllaries ovate, ca. 2 × 2 mm; middle phyllaries oblong to narrowly elliptic, ca. 8 × 3 mm; inner phyllaries linear, ca. 11 × 2 mm. Corolla pale purple, 1.4-1.6 cm. Achene cylindric, ca. 6 mm, ribbed, glabrous, apex with a short crenulate crown. Pappus white; outer bristles ca. 5 mm, scabrid; inner bristles ca. 1 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.
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