Herbs 9-30 cm tall, perennial, monocarpic. Caudex unbranched. Stem solitary, ca. 6.5 mm in diam., erect, simple. Rosette and lower stem leaves petiolate; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to oblong, 3.5-11.5 × 0.8-2.5 cm, both surfaces dark reddish green to blackish purple and arachnoid, margin dentate, apex acute. Upper stem leaves linear, both surfaces densely white lanate, margin entire, apex acute. Capitula numerous, densely clustered on flat stem apex in a synflorescence ca. 4 cm in diam., hidden at anthesis in a lanate indumentum, sessile. Involucre cylindric, 5-6 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 3 or 4 rows, membranous; outer phyllaries spatulate to narrowly obovate, 8-8.5 × ca. 2.5 mm, densely pilose and glandular, apex apiculate; inner phyllaries narrowly ovate to linear, 8-8.5 × ca. 1.5 mm, sparsely pilose, apex acute to apiculate. Receptacle densely papillose; papillae ca. 0.5 mm. Corolla bright purple to reddish purple, 1-1.3 cm, glabrous, tube 5.5-6.5 mm, limb 4.5-6.5 mm, lobes 1.5-2 mm. Achene purplish black, cylindric, 4-7 mm, densely papillose. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles 2.5-4.5 mm; inner bristles 1.1-1.3 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep. 2n = 36*.
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