Herbs biennial. Main root dark brown, straight, stout. Stems usually single, branched above, 10-35 cm tall, gray-white hispid; branches erect. Basal leaves numerous, forming a rosette, surrounded by persistent withered leaves; leaf blade spatulate to oblanceolate, 3-7 cm × 5-10 mm, gray-white hispid, abaxially with more numerous longer hairs, base attenuate, apex obtuse; midvein distinctly protruding; stem leaves widely spaced, linear. Inflorescences terminal on branches, elongated to 20 cm in fruit, with 1 or 2 leaflike bracts at base, other bracts small, slightly longer or shorter than pedicel. Pedicel 2-3 mm, or shorter above. Calyx lobes linear, ca. 1.5 mm, to 3 mm in fruit. Corolla light blue, ca. 4.5 mm; tube longer than calyx; throat appendages trapeziform, ca. 0.8 mm; limb 4-5 mm wide; lobes divaricate, oblong, ca. 2.5 mm. Style slightly surpassing nutlets by ca. 1 mm. Fruit broadly ovoid, ca. 3 mm; nutlets ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 2.5-3 mm, adaxially with dense fine tubercles; disc triangular-ovate to narrowly ovate, sparsely granulose, center line keeled and with several short glochids; marginal glochids in 2 rows; inner glochids 1-2 mm, bases slightly widened and contiguous; outer glochids 0.3-0.7 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.

* Sunny hillside meadows in coniferous forest zone, meadows in valleys; 2300-2800 m. Xinjiang.