Herbs, perennial, 10-37 cm tall, caespitose; rhizome slender. Stems usually several, erect to ascending, green or reddish, branched or rarely simple, hirsute-villous, strigillose, especially in upper parts, stipitate glandular, densely leafy. Leaves: basal withered or present at anthesis, petiolate, petiole hirsute-villous, blade oblanceolate, 0.7-8 × 0.3-1.2 cm, surfaces hirsute-villous or strigillose adaxially only, base attenuate, margin entire, hirsute-villous-ciliate, apex obtuse to acute; mid cauline sessile, blade lanceolate, 0.7-4.5 × 0.1-0.5 cm, base subclasping, apex acute; upper smaller, stipitate glandular. Capitula 1-6 in corymbiform synflorescences, 18-25 mm in diam. Involucre hemispheric; phyllaries linear-lanceolate, 5.5-6 × 0.5-0.7 mm, often shorter than or almost equaling disk florets, apex acute, outer shorter, dark cork-colored, hirsute-villous, stipitate glandular, inner margin scarious. Ray florets lilac, 7-9 mm, tube ca. 2.5 mm, hairy distally, lamina flat; disk florets yellow, 3.5-4 mm, hairy distally, lobes lanceolate, ca. 0.4 mm, glabrous. Achenes tan, oblong, compressed, 2-3 mm, strigose. Pappus 2-seriate, outer bristles short, inner 4.5-5 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep.

Picea forests, alpine meadows; 2100-3400 m. N Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Russia (W Siberia)].