Herbs perennial or biennial. Leaves alternate. Cymes bracteate or ebracteate on lower part. Flowers sessile or short pedicellate. Calyx 5-parted; lobes erect, lanceolate-linear, somewhat enlarged in fruit, subtending fruit, hirsute. Corolla long tubular, slightly thickened distally; throat without appendages, sometimes with scalelike emergences alternate with corolla lobes; limb 5-parted; lobes vertical or spreading, triangular to ovate. Stamens inserted at middle of corolla tube, with exserted long filaments and linear-oblong anthers. Ovary 4-parted. Style exserted from corolla, entire at apex; stigma capitate or dotlike. Gynobase narrowly fastigiate. Nutlets oblong, glabrous, with cupular emergence abaxially; margin of emergence narrowly winged, entire or dentate; attachment scar at base adaxially. Seeds ovoid, dorsiventrally compressed.

Four or five species: C Asia; two species in China.