Herbs 10-20 cm tall, perennial, sometimes caespitose. Caudex branched, with several sterile leaf rosettes and flowering stems. Stem solitary, erect, simple, covered at base with remains of petioles. Rosette and basal stem leaves petiolate; petiole adaxially densely white lanate or sericeous at base; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to linear, 2-10 × 0.7-1.2 cm, both surfaces green and densely glandular hairy, margin sinuate-dentate. Middle and upper stem leaves similar to lower ones. Capitulum solitary, terminal on stem, usually surrounded by uppermost linear leaves. Involucre broadly campanulate, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 3 or 4 rows, narrowly triangular-ovate to subulate, densely villous, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries green, 12-20 × 2-3 mm; middle and inner phyllaries purple, 1.8-2 × 0.1-0.2 cm. Corolla purplish red, 1.5-1.7(-2.5) cm, tube 7-8 mm, limb 8-9 mm, lobes 4-5 mm. Achene cylindric or obconic, 4-5 mm, 4-angled, apically with glands. Pappus pale brown or purplish; outer bristles 1-4 mm; inner bristles 1.2-1.4 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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