Herbs perennial, 30--60 cm tall. Roots robust, lignified. Stems sparsely caespitose, suberect, slender, glabrous, apically viscid. Basal leaves oblanceolate, withered at anthesis, 5--8 cm × 5--10(--12) mm, both surfaces glabrous, slightly coarse, margin sometimes ciliate, midvein prominent, base attenuate into long petiole. Cauline leaves with short sterile axillary branches, gradually smaller than basal leaves. Flowers 2(--2.5) cm in diam., erect, in a lax, few-flowered thyrse; cymules with peduncles shorter than or subequaling pedicels, opposite, 1--3-flowered. Pedicel 1--2.5(--3) cm, slender, glabrous or sparsely and shortly hairy, viscid; bracts linear or linear-lanceolate, ciliate. Calyx tubular, ca. 30 × 3 mm, glabrous, clavate in fruit, longitudinal veins green or violet, teeth 1--2 mm. Androgynophore ca. 2 cm, glabrous. Petal claws cuneate-oblanceolate, glabrous, auricles not obvious, limbs exserted beyond calyx, pale red, triangular-oblanceolate, 1--1.5 cm, divided to about halfway, lobes band-shaped, uneven; coronal scales papillate. Stamens and styles exserted; filaments glabrous. Styles 3. Capsule globose-ovoid, 1--1.2 cm, shorter than calyx, rarely subequaling calyx. Seeds reddish brown, globose-reniform, ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. Jul--Sep, fr. Sep--Oct.
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