Perennial herb or shrub; stems 1.5-10 dm-tall, simple or usually much branched and woody below, hirsute with spreading or reflexed hairs, rarely nearly glabrous, obscurely lined or ribbed by decurrent leaf bases. Leaves 1-3(-4) cm long, divided into 1-2(-4) pairs of lateral lobes in the upper 1/2 or rarely entire, the midblade linear, the lateral lobes filiform, usually 3-veined, densely and finely cinereous puberulent, sometimes nearly glabrous with scabrid margins and nerves. Inflorescence a secund raceme; bracts entire or the lower lobed, the pubescence as on the leaves, distally or nearly wholly colored red to orange; pedicels ascend-ing, 2-6(-11) mm long in flower, 6-8(-18) mm long in fruit. Flowers con-spicuous; calyx 15-20(-23) mm long, the posterior cleft shallow, 1-3 mm deep, the anterior cleft 11-16 mm deep, the primary lobes entire or emarginate, if lobed the posterior lobes longer, rounded, hispidulous, red to orange, sometimes yellowish orange at the tip; corolla (18-)22-28(-32) mm long, decurved, the galea more than twice as long as the tube, 16-20(-23) mm long, slender, densely white puberulent dorsally, yellow to yellowish green with reddish margins, the lower lip much reduced with 3 narrow teeth about 1 mm long, dark green or reddish green, the tube 7-8(-10) mm long. Fruit a capsule, 8-12 mm long, ovoid, dark brown.