Perennial woody herb or shrub (0.3-)0.7-3 m tall; stems erect, branching distally, leafy, finely crispate-pubescent and glabrescent to densely long-tomentose with eccentric T-shaped hairs. Leaves mostly opposite, petiolate, (narrowly) ovate, 3-20 cm long, 1-12 cm wide, base cuneate, rounded or truncate-subcordate, margins serrate, apex acute, shortly scattered crispate-pubescent to densely finely strigose-tomentose above, shortly and thinly crispate-pubescent to very densely finely tomentose to lanate beneath; petiole 0.2-2.5 cm long. Capitula numerous in often copious terminal and upper-axillary compound corymbiform cymes, sometimes aggregated into more or less globose clusters; stalks of individual capitula finely closely to densely spreading-tomentose; involucres cylindrical to campanulate-cylindrical, 4-7 mm long; phyllaries 3-4-seriate, (narrowly) ovate, obtuse to rounded and sometimes apiculate, darker towards the apex and often pubescent to densely tomentose, with prominent paler membranous margins, fimbriate-pectinate on margins in upper part, the inner 3.5-7 mm long. Corolla mauve or very pale lilac, 4.5-8 mm long, sparsely glandular, lobes 1.5-3 mm long. Achenes pale brown, narrowly obovoid, 1-1.8 mm long, with 5-8 rounded ribs alternating with gland-filled grooves; pappus of few caducous bristles 1.3-3 mm long. Fig. 32/1-2, p. 140.