Herbs perennial, 30--60 cm tall, herbage subglabrous, not drying black. Stems erect, unbranched, with brown, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate scales at base. Basal leaves withering early; petiole to 5 cm. Stem leaves alternate; petiole 2.5 cm to barely sessile; leaf blade ovate-oblong, to 12 X 5.5 cm, pinnatipartite; segments 10--18 pairs, narrowly lanceolate, pinnatifid to dentate. Inflorescences long spicate, to 20 cm, bracts and calyces woolly; bracts 3--5-palmatisect. Calyx 5--6 mm, membranous, slightly cleft anteriorly; teeth triangular, entire. Corolla pale rose, 2.1--2.5 cm; tube ca. 1 cm; galea falcate, ca. 2 X as long as lower lip, apex very short beaked; lower lip sparsely ciliate and erose, middle lobe emarginate apically. Filaments pubescent. Fl. Jun, fr. Jul.

Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia (Siberia)].