Perennials, 17-40 cm tall. Rhizomes less than 1 cm. Stems erect, simple, rarely basally branched, pubescent with multicellular hairs along 2 lines. Leaves sessile, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 1.5-8 X 0.4-2 cm, villous or glabrescent, base rounded, margin deltoid dentate. Racemes 2-4, axillary from uppermost leaves, vertical or ascending, 2-7 cm in flower, to 15 cm in fruit, pubescent; bracts linear, usually shorter than pedicel. Calyx deeply parted, 5-lobed; lobes linear-elliptic, ca. 3 mm at anthesis, to 4-6 mm in fruit, upper lobe much smaller or wanting. Corolla blue or purple, 3-4 mm; tube glabrous inside, adaxially parted to ca. 1/2 of corolla length, abaxially lobed to 3/5; lobes ovate-orbicular to elliptic. Stamens much shorter than corolla, adnate to corolla for most of their length. Ovary and capsule glabrous or rarely sparsely hairy. Capsule ovoid to ovoid-conical, tapering, apex obtuse. Style 1-1.5 mm. Seeds more than 40 per capsule, flattened, slightly convex on both sides; seed coat smooth. Fl. Jul-Aug.

* Mountain slopes; 1300-3800 m. Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, S Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, N Yunnan.