Herbs 17-40 cm tall, perennial, caespitose. Caudex stout, many branched, covered with persistent remains of petioles. Stems many, 5-8 mm in diam., erect, simple. Rosette and lower stem leaves petiolate; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to linear, 5.5-17 × 0.7-2 cm, both surfaces grayish green and densely lanate-tomentose, margin shallowly sinuate-denticulate to subentire, apex acute. Middle and upper stem leaves sessile, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 6.5-12.5 × 1-2 cm. Uppermost stem leaves ovate or narrowly ovate and boat-shaped, (1-)3-6 × (0.8-)1.5-3 cm, membranous, enclosing involucre, both surfaces purplish red and sparsely villous, margin denticulate or entire. Capitulum solitary. Involucre broadly campanulate, 3-4 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, black or blackish purple, yellowish white villous, apex acuminate and often reflexed; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 11-14 × 3-5 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 14-15 × 2-3 mm; inner phyllaries narrowly ovate to linear, 15-19 × 1-2.5 mm. Receptacle bristles 1.5-5.8 mm. Corolla purple, 1.2-1.5 cm, tube 6.5-8 mm, limb 6-7.5 mm, lobes 3.2-4.8 mm. Achene obovoid to cylindric, 3-5.5 mm. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles 2-6 mm; inner bristles 1-1.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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