Herbs 4-12 cm tall, perennial, shortly stemmed. Caudex short, covered with remains of petioles. Stem solitary, erect, simple, arachnoid tomentose. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole 2-4 cm; leaf blade obovate-oblong to elliptic, 4-11 × 2-4 cm, lyrate, pinnately lobed, or undivided and margin obtusely dentate, abaxially grayish white and densely tomentose, adaxially green and sparsely arachnoid but glabrescent; lateral lobes 2-5 pairs, ovate, obliquely triangular, or semiorbicular, margin sinuolate, apex obtuse to rounded and usually mucronate; terminal lobe ovate to narrowly ovate, large, margin subserrate or sinuolate. Stem leaves absent or very few, narrowly linear. Capitulum solitary, in center of leaf rosette or terminal on stem. Involucre campanulate, 2-3 cm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 4 rows, apically whitish, arachnoid tomentose, apex acute; outer phyllaries linear, ca. 12 × 1 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 14-17 × 2.5-3 mm, apically dull purple; inner phyllaries broadly linear, ca. 2.2 × 0.2 cm. Corolla dark purple, ca. 1.8 cm, tube ca. 1 cm, limb ca. 8 mm. Achene cylindric, ca. 2 mm, transversely rugose. Pappus pale brown; outer bristles ca. 2 mm, scabrid; inner bristles ca. 1.5 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.
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