Stems erect or strongly ascending, leafy mostly in proximal 2/3 of plant, openly forked distally, 5–12 dm, pubescent basally with minute curved hairs in 2 lines, spreading glandular-pilose distally. Leaves ascending at 10–60°, progressively reduced toward infloresence; petiole 0.8–3 cm; blade bright green, narrowly triangular-ovate to ovate, 3–10 × 0.8–4 cm, ± thin, base acute, obtuse, truncate, or cordate, apex acute to attenuate, or obtuse, often rounded at tip, surfaces glabrous or rarely puberulent. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, few branched, ± evenly forked and open; peduncle 2–9 mm, spreading glandular-villous, crosswalls of hairs dark purple or black; involucres blushed with dark violet or black, at least in median region, widely bell-shaped, 3–6 mm in flower, 4–7 mm in fruit, spreading viscid-villous, 40–50% connate, lobes oblong to ovate, apex broadly acute. Flowers 3 per involucre; perianth bright purple-pink, 0.9–1.2 cm. Fruits dark grayish to blackish brown, sometimes dark, dull, reddish brown, narrowly obovoid, 3–4 mm, spreading-pilose, hairs often apearing loosely shaggy and somewhat tufted, (0.1–)0.2–0.3 mm; ribs ± same color as sulci, low and round, 0.7–1 times width of sulci, 0.5 times as wide as high, slightly rugose or warty; sulci almost smooth to slightly rugose or with very low tubercules.
