Herbs, perennial (?or biennial). Stem solitary, erect, ca. 35 cm tall, simple, sparsely arachnoid, glabrescent. Basal and lower leaves withered by anthesis, long petiolate; median stem leaf petiole purplish, 1-3.5 cm, slender, sparsely arachnoid to subglabrous, not winged, basally slightly expanded, not auriculate; blade narrowly oblanceolate-oblong, 5-10 × 0.5-1.5 cm, papery, both surfaces sparsely arachnoid and glabrescent, pinnatifid into a large lanceolate, acute, acutely dentate terminal lobe and in lower half 6-10 small, short, triangular-lanceolate, few-denticulate lateral lobes progressively smaller toward leaf base. Upper stem leaves shortly petiolate or subsessile, linear-lanceolate or linear, smaller upward, 1-3 cm, margin dentate, apex acuminate. Capitula discoid, nodding, 3 or 4 in a terminal corymb; peduncles erect, apically recurved, to 3-4 cm, stout, puberulent, not bracteate. Involucres broadly campanulate, 7-8 × ca. 8 mm, calyculate; bracts of calyculus 8-10, purplish, linear or linear-subulate, 6-7 × ca. 0.5 mm, entire, sparsely puberulent, white bearded at apex; phyllaries 13-15, lanceolate, 6-8 × ca. 2 mm, purple with darker veins, tips, and upper margins, sparsely arachnoid and purple puberulent, apically acute, fimbriate and white bearded. Disk florets many; corolla purplish, ca. 9 mm, with ca. 4 mm tube, apically acute, papillose. Anthers ca. 2.5 mm, basally subacutely to acutely auriculate, appendages ovate-lanceolate; antheropodia gradually somewhat expanded toward base. Achenes cylindric, 3-3.5 mm, glabrous. Pappus white, ca. 7 mm. Fl. Sep-Oct.
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