Herbs, perennial. Rhizome tuberous. Stem solitary, erect, ribbed, unwinged, with long multicellular hairs and cobwebby, densely felted below capitula. Leaves discolorous, surface smooth, abaxially grayish white and densely felted, adaxially green and with multicellular hairs. Lower cauline leaves withered at anthesis. Middle and upper cauline leaves with petiole to 1.5 cm; leaf blade elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, 8-11 × 2.5-4.5 cm, undivided, base cuneate, fringed with ca. 1 mm incurved spinules and sometimes alternating with ca. 2 mm patent spinules, apex acuminate. Capitula several, corymbose, erect. Involucre 2-2.5 cm in diam., glabrous. Phyllaries imbricate, in ca. 8 rows, lacking marginal spinules, wings, and scarious appendage; outer and middle phyllaries 3-10 × 1.5-3 mm, basal portion triangular, lanceolate, or elliptic, apical portion subulate and narrowed into a 3-7 mm spine; inner phyllaries elliptic to linear, 1.5-2 × 0.2-0.3 cm, apex acuminate and scarious. Florets bisexual. Corolla purple, ca. 2.1 cm, tube ca. 1 cm. Achene ca. 6 mm. Pappus bristles dark brown, ca. 1.8 cm. Fl. and fr. Oct.

● Guangxi (Yangshuo).