Herbs, perennial, 22-70 cm tall; rhizome thick. Stems often solitary, erect, simple or branched at middle, finely canaliculate, strigillose. Leaves thick, abaxially sparsely strigillose, veins densely villous, midvein or nearly palmate veins raised, lateral veins 3-paired, conspicuous, adaxially densely scabrous; lower leaves withered by anthesis, petiole 2-6 cm; blade cordate, reniform, or suborbicular, 2-5 × 2.2-4.5 cm; middle leaves cordate-ovate, margin serrate (teeth mucronulate), apex acute to acuminate; upper leaves gradually reduced, subsessile, ovate. Capitula many, in terminal corymbiform synflorescences, 2-2.5 cm in diam.; peduncles 7-12 cm; bracts oblong or linear. Involucres campanulate, 6-7 × ca. 8 mm; phyllaries 4-seriate, unequal (loosely imbricate), oblong, apex obtuse; outer phyllaries ca. 2 × 0.5 mm, densely strigillose, apex leaflike; inner phyllaries ca. 5 × 0.7 mm, glabrous, margin scarious, apex obtuse to acute, often purple-red. Ray florets ca. 10, purple, tube ca. 2 mm, lamina oblong, 8-9 × 1.5-2 mm; disk florets ca. 5 mm, tube 1.5-2 mm, lobes ca. 1 mm (not seen). Achenes (not seen) oblong, ca. 2 mm, densely strigillose, 2- or 3-ribbed. Pappus (not seen) of dirty white or ± reddish, subequal bristles.

The leaf shape of Aster limosus is distinct from that of other species.

● Muddy fields; ca. 1200 m. W Hubei (Yichang).