A polycarpic up to 15 cm tall perennial herb with root stock, branched at the ground level or unbranched. Leaves in rosette and cauline, former and lower leaves petiolate, narrowly obovate-spatulate, elliptic or oblong, 1 – 3 cm long, 0.3 – 1 cm broad, concolorous, green on either side, occasionally purple-tinged, glabrous or laxly arachnoid, entire or sinuate, obtusely dentate on margins, basally attenuate, obtuse; upper stem leaves sessile, narrowly triangular-ovate, mostly reflexed, white and blackish lanate on both sides, crenate or entire-margined, obtuse to acuminate. Capitula 5-15, sessile, in a hemispheric, 2-4 cm wide synflorescence. Involucre oblong, 5 – 6 mm wide. Phyllaries ± 3-seriate, subequal, membranous; outer phyllaries narrowly elliptic-linear, 8 – 9 mm long,1.5 – 2 mm wide, densely black and white lanate, ± acute; median and inner phyllaries obovate-elliptic, 8 – 9 mm long, 2 – 3 mm wide, purplish and acute at apices. Receptacular  bristles 0.5 – 1.5 mm long bristles. Corolla rose-purple, 7 – 9 mm long, tube 3 – 4 (-5) mm long, limb as long as tube with 1.5 – 2 mm long lobes. Cypselas cylindric to obconic, 4 – 5 mm long, smooth, glabrous, brown. Pappus mouse-grey to blackish, 2-seriate, outer bristles reflexed, 1 – 3 mm long, inner bristles 7 – 8 mm long.