Yellowish to yellow-brown, fleshy herb, (15-) 30-60 (-150) cm tall, often with a purplish tinge, simple, erect, glabrous to puberulous, often broader (up to 5 cm) at base. Scales (1-) 2-3 (-4) cm long, (7-) 10-15 (-20) mm broad, triangular to broadly linear, acute. Bract oblong-lanceolate, often purplish, acuminate, slightly longer than the calyx; bracteoles shorter than the calyx, narrow, linear to sublanceolate. Calyx 14-18 mm long, including lobes c. 1/3 as long as the tube; lobes laterally overlapping, with rounded apex and membranous margins. Corolla 3-5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm broad at the mouth, much narrower and tubular below, usually yellowish with purplish lobes, rarely whitish; lobes short, subrounded, entire, reflexed. Staminal filaments woolly at base; anthers densely hairy, usually rounded or blunt at the ends. Capsules 20-25 mm long, ovoid-oblong, laterally compressed, beaked, many-seeded; seeds c. 1 mm long, pitted, dark-coloured.

Type: Sinai Peninsula, between Suez and Tor (El Tur), Roth & Erdl..

Distribution: N. Africa, Arabia, W. Asia to Pakistan, India and C. Asia.

A fairly constant species except for the flower colour which varies from purplish-yellow to almost white.