Herbs, perennial, 30-80 cm tall. Roots simple or 2-or 3-branched, 12-25 × 0.3-0.5 cm. Stems erect, angular, internodes 6-12 cm, with adpressed, white puberulent hairs, more densely so at base and below inflorescences. Basal leaves rosulate, petiolate; petiole 3-10 cm; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to oblong, 6-10 × 1-2 cm, both surfaces sparsely white pubescent, pinnatisect, rarely dentate-lobed; segments linear, 1-1.5 mm wide, often wilted at anthesis. Cauline leaves opposite, amplexicaul, forming a short sheath, sessile or with petiole 1-1.2 cm; leaf blade oblong, 8-15 × 4-5 cm, pinnatisect or bipinnatisect; segments linear, 1-4 mm wide, both surfaces glabrous or sparsely white puberulent, apex acuminate. Peduncles 10-25 cm, tomentulose, hairs white; capitula 1 or 3, oblate-globose, 2.5-4(-7) cm in diam. at anthesis, globose and 1-1.5 cm in diam. in fruit; involucral bracts 6-14, lanceolate, 10-12(-28) × 1-3 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; involucels yellowish, obconical, 2.5-5 mm (excluding crown), ca. 1.7 mm wide, 8-ribbed, but only 4 marked, ribs densely white hirsute, with 8 pits at apex, crown ca. 1.2 mm, 18-20-veined, densely white villous on veins, edges dentate. Calyx 5-divided; segments needlelike, 2.5-3 mm, sparsely hispidulous. Corolla pale blue or light purple, outside densely puberulent, those of central flowers tubular, 4-10 mm; limb 5-lobed; lobes equal in length; those of marginal ray flowers 2-lipped, to 2 cm; upper lip 2-lobed; lower lip 3-lobed, longer; middle lobe up to 1 cm. Style ca. 1 cm, exserted; stigma capitate. Achenes oblong, with 5 brown veins and persistent calyx setae. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep. 2n = 16, 18.
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