Herbs perennial, 10--90 cm tall, not drying black. Stems erect, pubescent or subglabrous, branched or not; branches whorled. Leaves in whorls of (3 or)4; most petiole bases enlarged, connate, cupular, to 0.5--1.5 cm; leaf blade linear-oblong to lanceolate-oblong, 3.5--12 X 1--4 cm, pinnatisect to pinnatipartite; segments 10--14 pairs, linear-oblong to oblong, dentate. Inflorescences spicate, interrupted basally; bracts leaflike, longer than flowers, base enlarged, connate, cupular. Calyx 1--1.2 cm, membranous, glabrous; lobes 2 or 3, rounded. Corolla yellow, purple-red, or white, erect, ca. 3 cm; tube 2--2.5 cm; galea sparsely pubescent, apex bent downward, truncate, marginal teeth 2 or none; lower lip shorter than galea, ciliate; middle lobe very small. Filaments at least 2 pubescent. Capsule ovoid, 1--1.5 cm, apex acute. Seeds ca. 3 mm. Fl. May--Aug, fr. Aug--Sep.

Open pastures, slopes, coniferous forests, alpine Pinus forests; 2500--4300 m. SC Guizhou, W Hubei, SW and W Sichuan, SE Xizang, C, NE, and NW Yunnan [N India, N Myanmar]