Herbs 3-5 cm tall, perennial, stemless or shortly stemmed. Caudex usually branched, apically covered with remains of petioles. Stem if present simple, purplish brown, densely covered with articulate hairs. Rosette leaves petiolate; petiole 0.5-3 cm; leaf blade narrowly elliptic-oblong, 4-20(-30) × 1-4 cm, pinnatisect, abaxially grayish white, gland-dotted, and densely tomentose, adaxially green, scabrid, and densely strigose with articulate hairs; lateral segments 8-20 pairs, obliquely triangular-ovate, ovate, or elliptic, 0.5-2 × 0.5-1.8 cm, margin entire or dentate. Capitulum solitary, in center of leaf rosette. Involucre campanulate, 2-4 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, straw-colored with narrow dark margin, sparsely pilose but glabrescent, apically green and herbaceous, apex long acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate-triangular, (1.4-)1.8-2(-3) × 0.4-0.5 cm; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 1.5-2.2 × 0.3-0.4 cm; inner phyllaries linear, 2.3-2.6 × 0.1-0.2 cm. Receptacle bristles yellowish brown, subulate, 3-4 mm. Corolla dark purple, 2.5-3 cm, tube 1.7-2 cm, limb 8-10 mm, lobes 5-6 mm. Achene brown, cylindric, 4.5-5 mm, smooth, glabrous, apex with a short crown. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles 4-6 mm, scabrid; inner bristles 2-2.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.
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