An erect usually tufted perennial herb, 30–80 cm. tall from a woody rootstock; indumentum silvery-grey-sericeous, hairs closely appressed T-shaped. Stems annual, many, simple or rarely branched, leafy, ribbed. Leaves numerous, appressed-ascending, up to c. 4 x 2.2 cm., ovate to lanceolate or elliptic, apex somewhat abruptly narrowed and cuspidate or tapering-acuminate mucronate, base cuneate to rounded, petiole 1–4 mm. long, margins entire often ± undulate especially towards the apex; lamina markedly discolorous, upper surface green, thinly sericeous or glabrescent, lower surface densely grey-silvery- or brownish-silvery-sericeous with the nervation prominent. Capitula numerous, in a dense terminal corymbose arrangement up to c. 15 cm. across. Involucres 3–6 mm. long, campanulate. Phyllaries few-seriate, silky-silvery pubescent or somewhat glabrescent, variable; the outer from 1.5 mm. long, lanceolate; the inner up to c. 6 mm. long, oblong to ± lanceolate, ± abruptly contracted to a mucronate tip or more gradually acute. Corolla purple, 5–7 mm. long, funnel-shaped; lobes 1.5–2 mm. long, linear-oblong, strigose. Achenes 2–2.5 mm. long, subcylindric, densely covered with silky-strigose hairs; outer pappus of very short linear-lanceolate scales; inner of white, copious, barbellate setae, 4–6 mm. long.
