Plants annual or perennial, alpine, herbaceous. Leaves short petiolate to subsessile; leaf blade mostly rhombic, margin entire or crenate, tomentose. Verticillasters few flowered; bracts to as long as calyx, subulate. Flowers sessile. Calyx tubular-campanulate, lanate; teeth 5, linear-lanceolate. Corolla purple, 2-lipped; tube erect, straight, exserted, glabrous inside, throat dilated; upper lip subgaleate, apex emarginate; lower lip spreading, 3-lobed; middle lobe 2-lobulate; lateral lobes ovate or oblong, margin entire, apex emarginate. Stamens 4, didynamous, ascending, anterior 2 longer; anthers hirsute or glabrous, cells 2, divaricate. Style equally 2-cleft at apex, lobes subulate.

About three species: Afghanistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan; two species in China.

Many workers include Alajja in Lamium.