Perennial herb or weak subshrub with several stiffly erect, tough stems arising from the small woody rootstock, unbranched except in the upper part; stems often tinged with purple, densely crispate-pubescent with ± asymmetrically T-shaped hairs. Leaves sessile or shortly petiolate, ovate or elliptic, 2.5-15 cm long, 0.8-7 cm wide, base cuneate or rounded, sometimes attenuate, margins obscurely to evidently crenate, apiculate-denticulate or serrate, apex acute, green and (sparsely) scabrid above, pale greyish or whitish green and shortly crispate-pubescent to densely tomentose beneath; petiole up to 1.6 cm long. Capitula usually numerous in dense and copious compound terminal and upper axillary scorpioid cymes; involucre ovoid to obconic-cylindrical, 4-8 mm long; phyllaries 3-5-seriate, especially the inner purple-tinged especially on margins and towards apex, ovate, inner often elliptic, acute to obtuse, ± apiculate, sometimes recurving, the inner 3-7.3 mm long, pubescent and glandular. Corolla purple or mauve, 4.5-9 mm long, lobes 1.2-3 mm long, glabrous or with a few long fine subapical hairs, glandular. Achenes 2-3 mm long, 4-5-ribbed, shortly sparsely ascending-pubescent to glabrous, glandular; outer pappus of narrow oblong-lanceolate laciniate scales, 0.2-0.8 mm long, inner pappus white, 3.5-6 mm long.