Herbs perennial, ca. 10 cm tall, slightly pubescent throughout, not drying black. Roots slender, woody. Stems several, dark purple, central stem usually erect or procumbent and ascending, with 4 lines of hairs. Leaves glabrous throughout. Basal leaves few; petiole to 1.8 cm. Stem leaves in whorls of 3 or 4; petiole 5--13 mm; leaf blade lanceolate-oblong to ovate-oblong, 1--2.3 cm X 4--7 mm, pinnatipartite to pinnatisect; segments 4--7 pairs, ovate, incised-dentate. Inflorescences 0.2--8.5 cm, interrupted basally; proximal bracts leaflike, distal ones shorter than flowers, broadly ovate, glabrous. Pedicel dark purple, 1.5--10 mm, glabrous. Calyx usually tinged with purple-red, ca. 4 mm, membranous, slightly cleft anteriorly; tube ca. 3 mm; lobes 5, unequal, sparsely purple villous along veins and margins. Corolla purple; tube 9--10 mm, strongly decurved basally, expanded apically; galea falcate, ca. 6 mm; lower lip 6--7 mm, middle lobe ca. 3.5 mm wide, wider than long, lobes ± rounded. 2 filaments pubescent, 2 glabrous. Fl. Jul--Aug, fr. Aug--Sep.

* Alpine meadows, screes of limestone mountains; 4400--4600 m. W Sichuan.