Perennials, stemless. Rhizome internodes inconspicuous. Leaves basal, opposite; petiole 12.5-21 cm X ca. 3 mm; leaf blade broadly ovate, ca. 8.3 X 8.3 cm, papery, adaxially brownish pubescent, eglandular, abaxially yellowish pubescent along veins, base cordate, margin denticulate to serrate, apex acute; lateral veins ca. 9 on each side of midrib, inconspicuous. Cymes 1-flowered; peduncle to 10 cm, appressed pubescent; bracts 2, free, ovate-triangular, ca. 5 X 3 mm, pubescent, margin entire, apex acute. Pedicel to 2.3 cm, pubescent. Calyx ca. 3 cm, 5-lobed from near middle; tube ca. 1.5 cm; lobes slightly unequal, narrowly linear-triangular, ca. 1.5 cm, outside sparsely pubescent, inside glabrous, margin entire, apex subulate-acuminate. Corolla purple to purple-blue, ca. 7 cm, outside puberulent, inside with 2 longitudinal lines of puberulent hairs below adaxial lip; tube funnelform-tubular, 5.5-6.5 X ca. 2 cm; adaxial lip ca. 1.5 cm; abaxial lip ca. 2 cm. Filaments ca. 1.1 cm, glandular puberulent apically, glandular below; anthers fused by entire adaxial surfaces, ca. 4 mm, glabrous; staminodes 3, central ca. 0.8 mm, laterals ca. 3 mm. Pistil ca. 3 cm, glandular puberulent; ovary ca. 1 cm. Stigma oblate, ca. 3 X 5 mm, 2-lobed. Fruit and seeds unknown. Fl. May.

After publication of the family treatment for the Flora of China, this was treated as Henckelia fruticola (H. W. Li) D. J. Middleton & Mich. Möller (Taxon 60: 775. 2011).

Montane thickets; ca. 1300 m. SE Yunnan (Jinping Xian) [Vietnam].