Plants 5-22 cm; branched caudices. Stems usually simple. Leaves basal and cauline not much smaller distally, tapered to winged petioles 1-7 cm; blades elliptic or lanceolate to ovate, 2-8 cm, bases acute, margins entire or denticulate, apices acute, thinly tomentose when young, glabrescent, abaxially minutely resin-gland-dotted; distal cauline sessile. Heads 1-15 in condensed subcapitate arrays; (peduncles 0-1 cm. . Involucres 10-12 mm. Phyllaries in 3-4 series, unequal, ovate to lanceolate, abaxial faces dark green and tinged dark purplish, long-pilose; tips of outer and mid phyllaries ± rounded. Receptacles scaly. Florets 9-10; corollas purple, 10-12 mm, tubes 4.5-6 mm, throats 1.5-2 mm, lobes 3.5-4 mm; anthers dark purple. Cypselae 3-5 mm; pappi of white or tawny, outer bristles 1-4 mm, inner 8-11 mm. 2n = 26.

Flowering Jul-Aug. Gravelly alpine tundras, scree slopes; 2800-5200 m; Colo., Mont., Wyo.

Saussurea weberi appears to be closely related to the S. angustifolia complex.