Erect perennial herb, up to c. 1 m tall. Stems sparsely hairy to almost glabrous, branched above to form infl. Basal lvs sparsely to moderately hairy or densely lanate on lower surface, glabrous on upper; petiole = or > lamina; lamina orbicular to broad-ovate, cordate, shallowly lobed and dentate, 7-20 cm diam.; venation palmate. Cauline lvs smaller, shortly petiolate or finally sessile and amplexicaul, from ovate and lobed to triangular or lanceolate and simply serrate or entire. Infl. usually a ± flat-topped panicle. Supplementary bracts 0-(3), linear, 1-4 mm long. Involucral bracts 13-14, oblong, 3.5-5.5 mm long. Ray florets 9-14; ligules shades of pink, red, blue or purple, (6)-8-20 mm long. Disc red, blue, purple or yellow. Achenes ellipsoid-subcylindric, 0.9-1.2 mm long, those of ray florets glabrous and lacking a pappus, those of disc florets with very short antrorse hairs between ribs and with a denticulate pappus.