Plant 20-30 cm. Taproot long. Leaves lanceolate, pinnately lobed, thorny crenate, 20-50 cm x 5-10 cm wide, arched, leatherlike above and villous pubescent beneath. Flowering stem unbranched or few branched. Flower heads ca. 4-7 cm long. Phyllaries many, the outer ones thorny-tipped. Corolla purple. V - mid spring till late autumn. Fl - mid autumn. P - by seed. Prefers sunny, well drained places. In the regions of zones 3-4 rarely comes to flower, develops rosette of leaves. Good for the rock garden. Z 4 (3). New.

Central Asia (Tien Shan, Dzungaro-Tarbagatay), also northwestern China. In shaded coniferous forests, on alpine screes, and in rocky and stony places in the subalpine belt.