Perennial herb with 1-several erect stems 0.3-1.8 m high, arising from a slender creeping rootstock; stems rather densely leafy, densely pubescent with long ascending simple hairs or coarse spreading and shorter ascending or crispate simple hairs. Leaves rather crowded, sessile, lanceolate or oblanceolate, 2.5-12.5 cm long, 0.6-4.3 cm wide, base cuneate, rounded or cordate, apex obtuse to subacute, green and finely scabridulous-pubescent to somewhat silvery-sericeous above, crispate-pubescent and ± silvery-sericeous to densely white-tomentose beneath; upper leaves becoming much smaller. Capitula in rather copious terminal compound scorpioid corymbiform cymes; involucre ovoid, 8-14 mm long; phyllaries 4-seriate, lanceolate, 4-10 mm long, acute, densely silvery ascending-sericeous or yellow-brown-tomentose, with darker apices. Corolla bright mauve, violet or purple, 6-7.5 mm long, lobes 1.5-2.2 mm long, shortly ascending-hairy in upper part, with capitate glands. Achenes 2.1-3 mm long, 4-5-angled, ascending-pubescent; outer pappus of narrow scales 1-1.8 mm long, inner pappus 5.5-7.5 mm long, white.
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