Perennials, 30–80 cm solitary; roots or rhizomes fleshy; caudices woody, branched. Stems 1, erect, green, simple or sparsely branched distally, strongly striate. Leaves (basal in rosettes, sometimes withered at flowering); proximal blades linear, 100–350 × 2–3 mm, margins entire; cauline similar or reduced to scales. Heads (1–5) borne singly or in corymbiform arrays. Involucres cylindric, 14–22 × 5–6 mm, apices narrow. Calyculi of 8–14, deltate bractlets 1–5 mm, margins scarious, erose-ciliate (faces tomentulose). Phyllaries 8, linear, 14–22 mm, margins scarious, apices often purplish, acute, appendaged. Florets 8–10; corollas pink to lavender or blue, 30–40 mm, ligules 4–6 mm wide. Cypselae (subcylindric) 11–14 mm (faces smooth, abaxial weakly striate, glabrous, adaxial sulcate); pappi 12–18 mm. 2n = 18.
