A small glabrous, evergreen undershrub, up to 1 (-1.5) m tall with terete branchlets. Leaves crowded near the spike, on 1-4 cm long petiole; lamina ovate-elliptic to lanceolate-oblong, 5-10 x 2-5 cm, basally attenuate, glabrous, margin undulate-crenate, acute at tips. Spikes dense, terminal and axillary, up to 15 cm long. Flowers bright orange-scarlet with yellow throat; bracts lanceolate, 12-15 x 4-5 mm, mucronate, glandular-pubescent to glabrescent; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, hairy, mucronate. Calyx lobes hairy, lanceolate, 7-9 mm long, outer 2 obtuse or bifid, inner smaller. Corolla tube c. 2.5 cm long, limb c. 1.5 cm long. Stamens inserted at the middle of tube. Ovary 2.5-3 mm long; style filiform, up to 2 cm long, glabrous. Capsule oblong, 10-12 mm long, glabrous. Seeds densely clothed with fringed scales.

Fl. Per.: December-March

Type: Herb. Linn. 28.6 (LINN).

Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal; cultivated elsewhere.

Grown in gardens as an ornamental.