Erect annual or sometimes perennial branching herb 0.9-2.5 m tall; stems reddish purple near the base, striate, ascending-pubescent; whole plant aromatic. Leaves narrowly ovate, 5-17 cm long, 0.7-3 cm wide, base cuneate, obscurely sinuate-serrate to serrate, apex attenuate, sparsely to rather densely finely sericeous-pubescent especially beneath. Capitula in a compound corymbiform cyme, rather congested with the ultimate Groups of capitula rather dense; stalks of individual capitula ascending-pubescent, to 2(-4) mm long; involucre hemispherical or turbinate, 2-2.6 mm long; phyllaries 2-3-seriate, pale green with darker green centre especially in upper part, elliptic, ± 2 mm long, rounded or subacute, glandular. Corolla pale lilac, pale mauve or pale purplish blue, glandular, 2-3 mm long, lobes 1-1.1 mm long. Achenes sub-turbinate, 0.7-1.2 mm long, 3-5-ribbed to -winged, especially the outer sometimes slightly curved and slightly compressed, truncate, with a short apical rim. Fig. 28/6-7.
