Herbs perennial. Stem leaves short petiolate to sessile, dentate or incised-toothed. Cymes axillary; bracts small, linear-lanceolate to linear, rarely lanceolate. Calyx tubular to tubular-campanulate, straight or ± incurved, apex regular or oblique; teeth 5, subequal, ± 2-lipped [or not], (12-)15-veined, pilose annulate inside. Corolla straight or incurved; tube exserted, gradually dilated upward, twisted; limb 2-lipped, twisted at 90-180° so that position of lips is ± reversed; upper lip (true lower) 3-lobed, middle lobe largest; lower lip (true upper) 2-lobed. Stamens 4, exserted or included; anther cells parallel or almost not divergent. Style exserted, rarely included, apex equally or subequally 2-cleft. Nutlets brown, oblong-ovoid, slightly flattened, smooth.

Eighteen species: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, SW Asia; four species in China.