Often ± scrambling or scandent woody herb or weak shrub 0.8-4.5 m tall; stems tinged purplish, finely crispate-pubescent with asymmetrically and symmetrically T-shaped hairs, glandular. Leaves petiolate, ovate, 4-13 cm long, 2-7.5 cm wide, base rounded, truncate or cordate and sometimes narrowly decurrent on the petiole, margins sinuate-serrate or denticulate with apiculate teeth, apex acuminate, apiculate, shortly finely thinly pubescent and glabrescent above, rather thickly tomentose to thinly finely pubescent beneath; petioles 0.7-4.2 cm long. Capitula in copious terminal spreading sometimes scorpioid compound corymbiform cymes several cm across; stalks of individual capitula 1-10(-40) mm long, densely crispate-pubescent; involucre obconic to campanulate, 4-8 mm long; phyllaries 3-4-seriate, green, often purplish-tipped, thinly pubescent, ± glabrescent, narrowly to broadly ovate, acute or attenuate, the inner obtuse to acute, 4.3-6 mm long. Florets 15-20 per capitulum; corolla pale to deep mauve or lilac, rarely white or pink, 6-8.5 mm long, strongly exserted, the outer often recurving, lobes 1.5-2.5 mm long, glabrous or with a few slender subapical hairs. Achenes 2.3-3 mm long, strongly 3-6-ribbed, glabrous, glandular; outer pappus of narrow lanceolate laciniate scales, 0.3-0.8 mm long, inner pappus white, 4.5-7.5 mm long. Fig. 38/3 (involucre), p. 168; fig. 39/2 (achene), p. 172.