Annual herb 15–90 cm tall, erect or semi-procumbent; stems pubescent with short appressed-ascending and sometimes also with longer spreading simple hairs.. Leaves sessile, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, oblanceolate or elliptic, 1.5–6.5 cm long, 0.3–1.6 cm wide, base cuneate, margins subentire to obscurely few-denticulate in upper part or remotely apiculate-serrulate, apex obtuse to rounded and apiculate, shortly pubescent above and beneath becoming scabridulous above, glandular.. Capitula in lax few-headed often long-pedunculate terminal corymbiform scorpioid cymes; stalks of individual capitula densely ascending-pubescent; involucre hemispherical, 7–11 mm long; phyllaries 4-seriate, lanceolate, 3–9 mm long, acute to subobtuse, densely ascending-sericeous, erect or ± recurving at least at the apices.. Corolla white in Uganda, mauve or purple in Tanzania, 5–8 mm long, lobes 2–2.5 mm long, stiffly hairy in upper part or at the apex.. Achenes 1.5–2.3 mm long, 4-angled, ascending-pubescent at least on the angles; outer pappus of conspicuous broadly lanceolate or broadly oblong scales 0.6–1.2 mm long, inner pappus 3.5–5 mm long, white, tawny or purplish in upper part.
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