Herbs to 1.2 m tall, perennial. Stem solitary, erect, apically branched, wingless, arachnoid and with yellowish brown hairs. Lower stem leaves sessile, oblong to narrowly elliptic, 7-12 × 1.5-4 cm, pinnately lobed, lyrate, or undivided, abaxially grayish green and arachnoid tomentose, adaxially dark green and sparsely strigose, base auriculate and amplexicaul, apex acute; lobes 1-4 pairs, margin denticulate. Middle and upper stem leaves narrowly elliptic, 5-8 × 1-2 cm, gradually smaller upward on stem, undivided, base rounded, margin subentire, apex acute. Capitula numerous, in a paniculiform or lax corymbiform synflorescence, pedunculate. Involucre narrowly ovoid, 8-10 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, straw-colored but blackish brown apically and near margin, sparsely arachnoid; outer phyllaries ovate, ca. 2 × 1 mm, apex dark mucronate; inner phyllaries narrowly elliptic, to 10 × 1 mm, apex acute to obtuse. Corolla bluish purple, ca. 1 cm, tube 4-5 mm, limb ca. 5 mm, lobes ca. 2 mm. Achene glabrous. Pappus brown; outer bristles ca. 3 mm, scabridulous; inner bristles 9-10 mm. Fl. and fr. Oct.
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