Herbs perennial, 30--60(--90) cm tall. Root conical, slightly lignified. Stems solitary, sparsely clustered, erect, simple, sometimes basally branched, densely pubescent, intermixed with sparse glandular hairs. Basal leaves elliptic-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 5--10 cm × (5--)8--15(--20) mm, both surfaces sparsely glandular villous, margin glandular ciliate, base attenuate into long petiole, apex acute; distal leaves 1--3 pairs, lanceolate, smaller than basal leaves. Flowers many, nutant, soon becoming erect. Cymules 1--3-flowered with strict erect peduncles of varying length. Pedicel 1--3 cm, slender, pubescent, intermixed with sparse glandular hairs; bracts lanceolate, villous. Calyx narrowly oblong, 8--12 × ca. 3 mm, slightly inflated in fruit, densely pubescent; longitudinal veins dark green or dark violet, glandular hairy, cohering at calyx teeth; calyx teeth triangular-lanceolate, 3--4 mm, margin membranous, ciliate, apex obtuse. Androgynophore very short, sparsely hairy. Petals exserted 4--6 mm beyond calyx, pale yellowish green or dark red; claw exserted, with narrow auricles, glabrous; limb 2--4 mm, shallowly bifid; lobes narrow, usually with small lateral teeth; coronal scales ligulate, entire or emarginate. Stamens included; filaments glabrous. Styles 5, included, very short. Capsule globose, 1--1.4 cm, often longer than calyx. Seeds gray-brown, globose-reniform, ca. 0.8 mm, thickened, tuberculate. Fl. Jul--Aug, fr. Aug--Sep.
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