Herbs perennial. Rhizomes creeping, to 4 cm, with a tuft of long roots. Leaves 2 or 3 per rosette; petiole 15--20 cm, initially rust-colored glandular pubescent, becoming glabrous; leaf blade oblong to suborbicular or ovate-rotund, 11--20 X 10--15 cm, papery when dry, abaxially pubescent along veins or glabrescent, adaxially glabrous, base deeply cordate, margin obscurely repand and spiny-denticulate, apex rounded or short obtuse. Scapes 10--20 cm, rust-colored tomentose especially at base, axis 3--10 mm initially, elongating to 5 cm in fruit. Racemes abbreviated, ± umbellate, 8--15-flowered; bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, 6--10 mm. Pedicel 7--10 mm, elongating slightly in fruit. Flowers heterostylous. Calyx tinged with red, campanulate, 4.5--5 mm, glabrous or very sparsely puberulous, parted to middle, sinus between lobes rounded, obscurely 5-veined; lobes lanceolate, apex acute. Corolla rose; tube 1--1.2 cm; limb 1--1.5 cm wide; lobes obovate, emarginate. Pin flowers: stamens at middle of corolla tube; style ca. as long as tube. Thrum flowers with positions reciprocal. Capsule ellipsoid, slightly longer than calyx. Fl. Mar-Apr.
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