A stiff erect, sparingly branched, perennial herb up to c. 75 cm. tall, from a woody rootstock. Stems annual, usually purple, simple below, uniformly leafy, glabrous or pilose-scabrid; hairs becoming brittle with bases persisting as rigid points; branches up to c. 22 cm. long, leafy. Lower leaves with petioles up to c. 5 mm. long; leaves 5–15 x 1.2–4.5 cm., oblanceolate-elliptic to narrowly elliptic, apices obtuse ± apiculate, bases cuneate, margins coarsely serrate to subentire, ± coriaceous, glabrous, or more usually with white hispid hairs on both surfaces becoming scabrous, nerves ± prominent beneath. Capitula terminal, solitary, or up to c. 4 subcorymbiformly cymose; capitula stalks arising in upper leaf axils, bracteate, glabrous or scabrous; bracts 1-several, up to c. 10(15) mm. long, linear. Involucre 15–30 x 25–50 mm., broadly campanulate to hemispheric. Phyllaries numerous, many-seriate, appendaged, all ± similar but progressively longer towards the inside, 10–25 x 2.5(3) mm., stramineous and linear-oblong below the appendage, coriaceous, glabrous sometimes hispidulous, margins with fine comb-like teeth; appendages green, thinly coriaceous with slightly prominent nerves, ± equalling the phyllary base in length and usually exceeding it in width. Receptacle minutely fimbriate-alveolate. Corolla 17–22 mm. long, the lower two-thirds narrowly cylindric, slightly widened and deeply lobed at the apex, limb cornflower-blue. Achenes pale-brown when mature, up to c. 10 mm. long, subcylindric to subfusiform, c. 10-ribbed, glabrous with dark-brown gland spots; outer pappus of narrow scale-like setae up to c. 3 mm. long; inner pappus of brown or purple-tinged, 14–15(18) mm. long, ± flattened setae, bristled on margins.