A leafy perennial up to 60 cm tall. Stem(-s) fistular, glabrous, striate: Leaves 30-150 x 8-30 mm, lanceolate to oblanceolate, strigosely hairy, undersurface often glabrous, the hairs arising from a swollen base. Calyx 12-14 mm long, 5-partite, up to 30 mm in fruit, lobes broadly lanceolate, upper half ciliate-setose. Corolla hypocrateriform, 18-20 mm long, tube 10-11 mm long, narrow, glabrous. Throat with 5 scales; scales ± obtuse, minutely ciliate; long lanceolate. Stamens 5, alternating with the scales, exserted. Anthers elongated, obtuse, one larger than the others; large anther 6-7 mm long. Style up to 18 mm long, filiform. Usually only 1 nutlet developed, compressed, brown, suborbicular in outline, 9-11 mm long, rugulose, margin irregularly dentate.

Fl. Per.: May.

Type: Persia, between Hamadan and Tehran, Bruguiere & Olivier s.n. (P).

Distribution: Iraq, Iran, Turcomania, Afghanistan, Pakistan.

The species over its wide distributional range can be divided into 2 varieties. The type variety has so far not been recorded from Pakistan; It differs from the var. crossifolia in its smaller size, leaves not thickened and the inflorescence usually developed from base of stems. Found up to 2000 m.