Perennial herb to 1 m high; stems 1-several, becoming woody proximally, erect, often with new whorls of leaves in the axils of mature leaves, densely appressed-hairy. Leaves alternate, sessile, narrowly ovate to elliptic, 5.5-8.5 cm long, 1.4-5 cm wide, margins remotely obscurely denticulate, apex subacute, apiculate, green and finely pubescent above, grey-tomentose and with brownish-tomentose reticulate venation beneath. Capitula rather numerous in compound corymbiform cymes; stalks of individual capitula 2-15 mm long; involucre obconic-campanulate, 5-8 mm in diameter at flowering time; phyllaries 3-seriate, narrowly ovate, 2-8 mm long, darker in centre towards the apex and the inner purplish on the margins, otherwise pallid, densely finely pubescent, with narrow membranous slightly fimbriate margins. Corolla light purple, 6-8 mm long, lobes 2.5 mm long, densely finely appressed-hairy. Achenes often slightly curved, 1.8-2 mm long, 5-6-ribbed, very shortly sparsely ascending-hairy between the ribs; pappus very scant, absent from most florets, 1.7-3 mm long. Fig. 30/4 (achene).
