Perennial herb with annual stems 7–40 cm tall from a woody rootstock; roots thong-like, swelling into tubers; stems solitary or 2–3 together, erect, pubescent with spreading crispate hairs and some T-shaped hairs. Leaves sessile, ovate to oblanceolate, 2–7 cm long, 0.5–3 cm wide, base rounded to cuneate, apiculate-serrate or subentire, apex acute to briefly acuminate, scattered-pubescent above and beneath, glandular-punctate, the uppermost smaller and comparatively narrower. Capitula solitary, terminal, 9–12 mm long, 14–20 mm in diameter; stalks of individual capitula crispate-pubescent; phyllaries 3-seriate, subequal, narrowly lanceolate, 5–10 mm long, purple-tinged towards the apex, attenuate, pungent, finely crispate-pubescent. Corolla purple, 9–10 mm long, lobes 3 mm long with short stiff hairs below the apex. Achenes obovoid, 2–2.5 mm long, 4–5-ribbed, glabrous; pappus double, outer a low rim, inner of slightly flattened brown barbellate setae 0.7–5 mm long. Fig. 54/4–5, p. 279