Herbs perennial, 30--90 cm tall. Roots thickened, fascicled. Stems hollow, unbranched, with 4--10 cm internodes, sparsely pubescent or glabrous. Leaves in whorls of 3 or 4; bases of distal petioles and bracts greatly dilated, connate; leaf blade long elliptic, proximal 1 or 2 whorls largest, 9--13 cm, pinnatisect; segments 12--15 pairs, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, incised-dentate. Inflorescences spicate, to 20 cm; bracts leaflike. Calyx 2.2--2.5 cm, slightly cleft anteriorly; lobes 5, unequal. Corolla purplish red to red, 3.7--5 cm; tube 1.5--3 cm, slightly enlarged and curved apically; galea erect, glabrous; beak straight, triangular, 2--4 mm; lower lip ca. as long as galea, 1.7--2 X 2.7--3.5 cm, ciliate. Filaments pubescent. Capsule compressed, ovoid, 2--2.5 X 1--1.2 cm. Fl. Jun--Aug, fr. Jul--Aug.

* Alpine meadows, open stony pastures, shaded places near forest margins; 2800--4000 m. SW Sichuan, NW Yunnan.