Perennial herb to 50 cm tall. Stems simple to many, covered with spreading to subappressed hairs. Basal leaves petiolate, 13-30 x 2-5 cm, covered on both surfaces with short subappressed hairs. Inflorescence terminal, up to 18 cm in fruit. Pedicels 5-6.5 mm long, upto 22 mm and recurved in fruit. Calyx 5-6.5 mm long, upto 12 mm in fruit, lobes lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate. Corolla dark purple or madder: tube 5-6.5 mm long, equalling or longer than calyx. Limb shorter than tube, ± 5-5.5 mm long, lobes oblong. Throat scales c. 1-1.3 mm long, shortly oblong, tip bilobed. Anthers exerted, 3 mm long, narrow oblong. Filaments 1.5-1.8 mm long, attached slightly below the throat scales. Style 11-14 mm long, slender. Nutlets ovoid, c. 7 mm long, covered with short glochidiate appendages. Middle dorsal area minutely tuberculate.

Fl. Per.: June-July.

Type: In pratensibus subalpinis Alatau ad fl. Sarchan, Karelin & Kirilov s.n. (LE).

Distribution: Soviet C. Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Ladak.

Not very common. A plant of the inner ranges of the Himalaya from 3300-4400 m. Generally misidentified as Lindelofia angustifolia Brand, which does not occur here and is characterised by the absence of throat scales.