Herbs, perennial, 2-8 cm tall, sometimes caespitose; rootstock woody, collar densely clad by marcescent leaf remains. Stems 2 or 3 or many, pilose. Leaves white villous; basal leaves dense, rosulate, petiolate, petiole 1-2 cm, base clasping; blade 1-2 cm, bipinnatisect; lobes 3-5 pairs, 5-7 mm, each with 3-8 pairs of secondary segments, 1-3 cm; cauline leaves 3 or 4, similar to but smaller than basal leaves, pinnatisect. Involucres 2.5-3.5 cm in diam.; phyllaries unequal, purplish at tips, villous; outer phyllaries 6-7 × ca. 0.75 mm; inner phyllaries 9-10 × 0.8-1 mm. Ray florets 20-35, pale mauve, tube 2.5-3 mm, lamina 1.3-1.5 × ca. 0.2 cm; disk florets yellow, 5.5-6 mm, tube ca. 1.6 mm, lobes ca. 1 mm. Achenes ca. 1.5 × 0.5 mm. Pappus: outer bristles ca. 1 mm; inner bristles slender. Fl. Jul.

Specimens of Aster bipinnatisectus were not seen by us; the description is based on the protologue by Grierson.

This species is distinguished from all other species of the genus by its bipinnatisect, villous leaves. Rosettes at the base of woody stems are also a distinguishing character.

● Rock faces; ca. 3200 m. SE Xizang (Xoka).