Herbs 15-45 cm tall, perennial. Caudex stout, few branched, densely covered with persistent remains of petioles. Stems usually solitary, 2-5 mm in diam., erect, simple. Rosette, basal, and lower stem leaves petiolate; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to linear, 8-25 × 0.4-1.5 cm, abaxially grayish white, densely lanate, and sometimes gland-dotted, adaxially green and sparsely pilose, base attenuate, margin revolute and sinuate-dentate, apex acute. Middle and upper stem leaves sessile, narrowly ovate to elliptic, 5-9 × 1-1.5 cm, base semiamplexicaul. Uppermost stem leaves ovate and boat-shaped, 2.5-5.5 × 1-2.6 cm, enclosing or subtending capitulum, both surfaces purplish red, base rounded, margin dentate, apex acute. Capitulum solitary. Involucre broadly campanulate, 2-2.5(-3) cm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 4 rows, blackish brown, densely villous, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 7.5-8.5 × ca. 2.5 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate, 9-12 × 2-2.5 mm; inner phyllaries linear, 15-16 × 0.8-1.7 mm. Corolla purple, 1.2-1.6 cm, tube 7-8 mm, limb 7-8 mm, lobes 4.8-5.4 mm. Achene black, obconic, 4.4-5.8 mm. Pappus straw-colored; outer bristles 1.2-2.4 mm; inner bristles 1-1.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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