Herbs 30-70 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, erect, apically branched, densely leafy, apically arachnoid tomentose. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 10-13 cm; leaf blade ovate, 6-13 × 3.5-8.5 cm, thick, abaxially grayish green to grayish white and densely tomentose, adaxially green and sparsely arachnoid but glabrescent, base deeply cordate, margin sinuate-denticulate, apex acute. Middle stem leaves petiolate; leaf blade base truncate, rounded, or cuneate. Upper stem leaves sessile, narrowly elliptic to ovate-elliptic, gradually smaller upward on stem. Capitula numerous, in a paniculiform or laxly corymbiform synflorescence, pedunculate. Involucre campanulate, 8-10 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 or 6 rows, pale yellow sericeous, apex obtuse to rounded and with a black mucro; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate, 2-3 × 1-1.5 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 5-7 × ca. 1 mm; inner phyllaries linear, 8-10 × ca. 1 mm. Corolla dark purple, ca. 1.2 cm. Achene obconic, glabrous. Pappus straw-colored; outer bristles simple, ca. 1/4 as long as inner ones. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.
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