Herbs perennial, barely 10 cm tall, drying black or not. Stems 1 to several, 1--2(--5) cm, with lines of hairs. Basal leaves usually in a rosette; petiole 1--2 cm, winged, pubescent; leaf blade lanceolate-oblong, 1--2 cm, glabrescent on both surfaces, pinnatipartite to pinnatisect; segments 5--11 pairs, triangular-ovate to ovate. Stem leaves alternate, sometimes pseudo-opposite on lateral branches. Flowers few, axillary, dense. Pedicel to 1--2 cm, with 2 lines of dense hairs. Calyx ± tubular, 1/3--1/2 cleft anteriorly; tube 8--10 mm; lobes (2 or)3, deeply pinnatipartite. Corolla purple-red; tube 3--4.5 cm X ca. 2 mm, purple pubescent; galea twisted falcate, ± crested in front; beak ± semicircular, ca. 5 mm; lower lip 8--10 mm X 1.8--2 cm, short ciliate, lobes emarginate. Filaments pubescent.