Perennial, tuft-forming, with a woody rootstock. Stems herbaceous erect or ascending, 20-60 cm, sometimes purplish below, branched or not, leafy, almost glabrous or with short ± retrorse eglandular hairs. Leaves pinnatisect or 1-pinnate, lobes linear-lanceolate with ± revolute margins; lamina c. 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-1.2 cm with short eglandular hairs; petiole c. 10 mm on lower leaves less on upper. Inflorescence showy, of 4-6 distant or approximating 6-8-flowered verticillasters; bracts linear-oblong, 1/2 x length of calyx or more, with short or up to 5 mm awns; pedicels c. 0.5 mm. Calyx often purplish green, 12-16 mm long, bilabiate, thickened at base of sinuses, very finely eglandular pilose and with few scattered sessile oil globules; upper lip of 3 ovate triangular prominently awned teeth; lower lip of 2 longer oblong awned teeth. Corolla mauve to violet blue, handsome, 25-35 mm long, externally pilose; upper lip c. 4 mm, ± straight and equalling lower lip. Nutlets brown, 4 x 1.5 mm, oblong trigonous, truncate, above with a V-shaped attachment scar.

Type: [Soviet Central Asia] Tianshan, Osten-Saken (LE - n.v.).

Distribution: NE Afghanistan, Pakistan, Soviet C. Asia, Nepal.

Despite the specific epithet, the leaves are almost always singly pinnate in our specimens. Rather variable in leaf shape and degree of division, and in the prominence or otherwise of the awns on bracts and calyx teeth. The combination of erect habit, pinnate leaves and large violet-blue corollas is characteristic among our species.