Perennials, 20-50 cm tall. Rhizomes short. Stems erect, simple or sometimes branched at base, usually white villous with multicellular hairs along 2 lines. Leaves sessile, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 2-5 X 0.4-1.5 cm, villous with multicellular hairs along veins, margin shallowly incised-toothed. Racemes 2-4, axillary from uppermost leaves, 2-7 cm at anthesis, spicate, flowers crowded, elongated to 20 cm in fruit, villous with multicellular hairs; peduncle 3-10 cm; bracts broadly linear, much longer than pedicel. Calyx deeply parted, 5-lobed; lobes broadly linear to linear-lanceolate, 3-4 mm, upper much smaller than other 4. Corolla purple to blue, ca. 4 mm; tube 1/2-2/3 of corolla length, inside glabrous or puberulent; lobes obovate to narrowly oblong. Stamens slightly shorter than corolla; filaments adnate to corolla for most of their length. Capsule narrowly ovoid, slightly compressed, apically tapering, 5-7 X 2-3.5 mm, hairy, apex obtuse. Style 2-3.5 mm. Seeds more than 40 per capsule, oblong-ovoid, flattened, slightly convex on both sides, ca. 0.6 mm; seed coat smooth. Fl. Jul.

* Alpine meadows; 2500-4500 m. SE Gansu, E Qinghai, W Sichuan, E Xizang.