Perennial sub-shrub 20-120 cm high, with 1-several stems arising from a xylopodium 1-3.5 cm in diameter, the stems erect, rigid, woody, somewhat branched, colour from straw-colour through reddish brown to black, short-pubescent, more densely so on apical part. Leaves alternate to sub-opposite, sessile to shortly petiolate, petiole to 6 mm, blade lanceolate to ovate, 0.8-6.2(-8) cm long, 0.2-2.2(-4.5) cm wide, margins often slightly thickened, entire to serrate, sometimes irregularly lobulate, pubescent, especially on veins, sometimes glabrous or pubescence confined to leaf margins, glandular-punctate. Inflorescence of dense corymbs; bracts 3.5-10 mm long, linear to linear-lanceolate and foliaceous; capitula 8-14 mm long, 3-6 mm wide, stalks of individual capitula 2-10 mm, apparently extending in fruit up to 18 mm; phyllaries 5-7, 1-2-seriate, if outer series present 3-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, somewhat shorter than inner series, 4-9 mm long, 1-3.5 mm wide, green, sometimes with reddish or purplish tips, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, pubescent, ± glandular-punctate towards apices, with scarious, fimbriate margins, apex obtuse; receptacle flat. Florets 4-5, corolla 5-7 mm long, whitish, narrowly campanulate at the apex, 5-lobed, outer surface ± covered with hairs and/or small glands; anthers brown, basally obtuse with ovate apical appendages, anther-collars thickened; style-arms linear, very long, often contorted, shortly appendaged. Achenes brown, 3-4 mm long, ±6-ribbed, setuliferous or with some evidence of setae and often with glands, straw-coloured carpopodium evident; pappus uniseriate, straw-coloured, 5-8 mm long, dense.
Herb, up to 1 m high. Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, dentate-or incise-serrate, triplinerved, alternate to subop-posite. Achenes sparsely pubescent. Flowers purplish or white.