Monocarpic to 6 cm tall, perennial herb. Leaves densely white hairy underneath, densely yellowish brown or whitish lanate above, both rosette and cauline, basal shortly petiolate, obovate or spatulate, 14 – 20 mm long, 5 – 11 mm wide, basally cuneate-attenuate, margins with 2-3 on each side, apex obtuse; cauline and floral region leaves oblong-elliptic, 3 – 5.5 cm long, (0.3) 0.5 – 1.5 cm wide, entire or sparsely denticled, obtuse or acute at apices. Capitula several, sessile, borne in a hemispherical, synflorescence 3 – 4 cm across. Involucre narrowly campanulate, 4 – 8 mm wide. Phyllaries 3-seriate, obtuse; outermost narrowly ovate-oblong, 9 – 11 mm long, 3 – 5 mm wide, apically densely yellowish brown and lanate, median and inner phyllaries oblong-linear, 10 – 13 mm long, 2 – 4 mm wide, membranous basally, purple and densely white hairy at apices. Receptacle lacking bristles. Corolla rose-purple to purplish red, 9 – 13 mm long, tube 3.5 – 4 mm long, limb 5 – 6 mm long including 2 – 2.5 mm long lobes. Cypselas cylindrical, 5 – 6 mm long, ribbed, glabrous. Pappus uniseriate, bristles 9 – 11 mm long, brown, plumose.