Herbs perennial, drying black. Stems more than 40 cm tall, erect, grayish brown pubescent. Stem leaves clasping, sessile, linear-lanceolate, to 6 cm X 6 mm; middle leaves largest, margin incised-double dentate, teeth to 20 pairs. Inflorescences to 15 cm, dense; bracts leaflike, slightly longer than calyx. Calyx to 1.6 cm, glabrescent; lobes 5, triangular-ovate, ca. 4 mm. Corolla purple; tube ca. 1.2 cm; galea conspicuously navicular, to 1.6 cm X 5 mm, margin densely long pubescent; lower lip much shorter than galea, ca. 8 mm X 1.1 cm, lobes ± rounded. 2 filaments pubescent, 2 glabrous. Fl. Jun--Aug, fr. Aug--Sep.