Perennial herb with 1–several erect stems 0.3–1.8 m high, arising from a slender creeping rootstock; stems rather densely leafy, densely pubescent with long ascending simple hairs or coarse spreading and shorter ascending or crispate simple hairs. Leaves rather crowded, sessile, lanceolate or oblanceolate, 2.5–12.5 cm long, 0.6–4.3 cm wide, base cuneate, rounded or cordate, apex obtuse to subacute, green and finely scabridulous-pubescent to somewhat silvery-sericeous above, crispate-pubescent and ± silvery-sericeous to densely white-tomentose beneath; upper leaves becoming much smaller. Capitula in rather copious terminal compound scorpioid corymbiform cymes; involucre ovoid, 8–14 mm long; phyllaries 4-seriate, lanceolate, 4–10 mm long, acute, densely silvery ascending-sericeous or yellow-brown-tomentose, with darker apices. Corolla bright mauve, violet or purple, 6–7.5 mm long, lobes 1.5–2.2 mm long, shortly ascending-hairy in upper part, with capitate glands. Achenes 2.1–3 mm long, 4–5-angled, ascending-pubescent; outer pappus of narrow scales 1–1.8 mm long, inner pappus 5.5–7.5 mm long, white.