Erect glabrous herb to 60 cm high, stems usually simple for the greater part, few-branched above. Leaves narrow-lanceolate to -oblanceolate, (6–)10–50 mm long, (1.5–)2–5 mm wide, entire (rarely denticulate toward apex). Capitula 1–several in narrow corymbs; involucral bracts narrow-elliptic to linear, 2–4 mm long, c. 0.5 mm wide, glabrous, the outer acute, the inner obtuse and apically fimbriate; ray florets mauve to purple or blue, ligules 3–4.5 mm long. Ray cypselas narrow-elliptic, 0.6–1.2 mm long, lightly appressed-pubescent, pappus bristles c. 10–15, c. twice as long as cypsela; disc cypselas linear, glabrous, with pappus like that of ray cypselas Flowers Sep.–Mar.