Herbs perennial, evergreen, efarinose, encircled at base with reddish small membranous bud scales. Leaves forming a rosette; petiole usually ca. 1/3 as long as leaf blade, densely pilose; leaf blade broadly elliptic to oblong-elliptic or broadly obovate, 3.5--11.5 X 2--10 cm, firm papery or subleathery, abaxially with multicellular hairs along midvein and lateral veins, otherwise pubescent, adaxially glabrous except sparsely pubescent on midvein, base rounded to broadly cuneate, rarely subcordate, margin obscurely crenate or hydathode-denticulate, apex rounded to obscurely emarginate; veins prominently raised and alveolate abaxially, impressed adaxially. Scapes 5--18 cm, pilose, elongating slightly and becoming glabrescent in fruit; umbels 2--7(--9)-flowered; bracts lanceolate, 3--8 mm. Pedicel 0.5--2 cm, pilose. Flowers heterostylous. Calyx campanulate, 6--10 mm, puberulous, parted to middle or nearly so; lobes ovate to ovate-lanceolate, ciliolate, margin entire to occasionally dentate, apex acute to obtuse. Corolla bluish purple or violet; limb 1.5--2.5 mm wide; lobes obovate, deeply emarginate. Pin flowers: corolla tube ca. as long as to slightly longer than calyx; stamens at middle of corolla tube; style ca. as long as tube. Thrum flowers: corolla tube ca. 1.5 X as long as calyx; stamens toward apex of corolla tube; style 3.5--5 mm. Capsule globose, shorter than calyx. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. May-Jun.
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