Herbs biennial. Stems usually erect, to 1 m, usually much branched, spreading hirsute, densely short appressed pubescent. Basal and lower stem leaves linear-lanceolate, ca. 12 × 1.4 cm, long strigose, base attenuate; upper stem leaves sessile, lanceolate, smaller. Inflorescences long, narrow, many flowered; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 4-15 mm. Flowers somewhat crowded. Calyx 5-parted to base, hirsute outside; lobes lanceolate-linear, ca. 6 mm, to 1 cm in fruit. Corolla blue-purple, oblique-campanulate, ca. 1.2 cm, short appressed pubescent outside; lobes unequal, upper lobe larger. Filaments 1-1.2 cm; anthers oblong, ca. 0.5 mm. Style ca. 1.4 cm; stigma terminal. Nutlets ovoid, ca. 2.5 mm, tuberculate. 2n = 16, 32 (31, 33, 34).

Rocky areas. N Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; W Asia, Europe, North America].