A large glabrous, well branched shrub, up to 1.5 m tall. Leaves on 1.5-2 cm long petiole; lamina elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 10-24 x 4.5-8 cm, basally attenuate, prominently nerved, lateral nerves c. 10 pairs, glabrous or ± hairy on nerves beneath, entire or crenulate, acute-acuminate. Flowers blue, c. 2.5-3 cm long, in short dense 2-4 cm long spikes forming a close terminal panicle; bracts leafy, ovate-elliptic to obovate, 12-15 x 6-8 mm, shortly acuminate, glabrous or ± puberulous; bracteoles narrowly lanceolate, 4-5 mm long, acute. Calyx lobes subequal, linear-lanceolate, c. 6 mm long, minutely pubescent. Corolla narrow, c. 2 cm long, glabrous, dilated near the top, limb oblique, lobes ± equal, patent, c. 1 cm long, obtuse. Fertile stamens 2 with narrowly oblong, slightly exserted anthers. Capsule c. 12-15 mm long.

Fl. Per.: February-March.

Type: Bot. Repository t. 88.

Distribution: A native of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent; introduced in gardens elsewhere.