Herbs 10-60 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, erect, simple or apically few branched, villous. Lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole to 7 cm; leaf blade narrowly ovate-elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 4-15(-20) × 1-3(-5) cm, both surfaces green and pubescent, base attenuate, margin entire or denticulate and ciliate, apex acute to acuminate. Middle stem leaves sessile, gradually smaller upward on stem, base semiamplexicaul. Uppermost stem leaves linear-subulate, subtending synflorescence. Capitula 2-8, in a corymbiform synflorescence or sometimes solitary, pedunculate. Involucre campanulate to obconic, 1-2 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, blackish purple, glabrous or sparsely villous, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 8-10 × 2-3 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 10-12 × 1.5-2 mm; inner phyllaries linear, 12-15 × 1-1.5 mm. Corolla bluish purple, 1.2-1.4 cm, tube 6-8 mm, limb 5-6 mm, lobes 3-3.5 mm. Achene glabrous. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles 2-3.5 mm, scabrid; inner bristles 9-10 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep.
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