Perennial herb 20-75 cm tall, rhizomatous; stems several, ascending or decumbent, sericeous-pubescent. Leaves elliptic or slightly obovate, 2.5-12 cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, slightly narrowed towards and semi-amplexicaul at the base, entire or rarely obscurely serrulate, obtuse to acute, apiculate, rather thinly to densely shortly pubescent above and thinly to densely pubescent with long white hairs beneath. Capitula terminal on the branches, solitary or rarely 2-3 together, 25-40 mm in diameter; stalks of individual capitula stout, ascending-tomentose; involucres hemispherical, 8-16 mm in diameter at flowering time; phyllaries 2-3-seriate, the outer foliaceous, ovate, 9-14 mm long, acute, ascending-tomentose, inner narrowly ovate, 8-10.5 mm long, attenuate, purplish at the apex and along the upper margins. Corolla bright purple or mauve, 13-14 mm long, lobes 3.5-5 mm long, with a few short, stiff apical hairs. Achenes 3 mm long, prismatic and 3-5-angled or cylindrical and finely 10-ribbed, glabrous; pappus 2-2.8 mm long.