Herbs 50-100 cm tall, branched, isophyllous. Stems straight or somewhat zigzag, glabrous, slightly 4-angled, sulcate, pubescent or with dense brown large-celled trichomes. Petiole 3-3.5(-7.5) cm, subglabrous, pubescent, or densely yellowish brown hirsute; leaf blade oblong-ovate, elliptic, or ovate, 5-20 × 1-10 cm, abaxially hirsute, pubescent, or subglabrous and with conspicuous cystoliths, adaxially pubescent or glabrous except brownish and whitish tomentose along veins, sparsely setose, densely yellowish brown hirsute on midvein, and with numerous cystoliths, secondary veins 6-8 on each side of midvein, base oblique and broadly rounded to cuneate and decurrent onto petiole, margin serrate to crenate, apex acuminate to caudate. Inflorescences spikes, 2.5-12(-21) cm, secund, sometimes reduced to 1 or 2 flower pairs; peduncle 1.5-3 cm; rachis usually geniculate at first node then straight or somewhat zigzag; bracts variable in size and shape with basalmost ones leaflike, with a 3-4 mm petiole, ovate to narrowly ovate, 2-3 × 0.8-1.3 cm, and margin serrate; apical bracts petiolate, obovate, elliptic, or ovate-spatulate, 0.6-3 × 0.3-1.2 cm, persistent, pubescent, margin usually with 1 or 2 teeth; bracteoles oblong to linear, 2-3.5 mm, apex rounded. Flowers 1-2 cm apart on rachis. Calyx 1.1-1.4 cm, white pilose with large-celled gland-tipped trichomes, 5-lobed to base; lobes linear, unequal, reflexed, glabrous in anthesis, sometimes gland-tipped pubescent in fruit, densely covered with white linear cystoliths, margin paler, apex acute. Corolla pinkish blue to blue, 3.5-4 cm, outside pubescent, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and narrow for ca. 5 mm then abruptly widened to ca. 1.3 cm at mouth, just basal to mouth slightly narrowed and bent to ca. 90°; lobes oblong, ca. 5 × 6 mm. Stamens 4, included; filaments glabrous, shorter pair 3-4 mm and incurved, longer pair 5-6 mm; anther thecae oblong, ca. 2 × 1 mm; pollen type 3. Ovary comose; style ca. 1.8 cm, sparsely gland-tipped pubescent at base. Capsule brownish yellow, narrowly ellipsoid, 1.6-2 cm, glabrous, 4-seeded. Seeds orbicular in outline, ca. 3 mm in diam., villous; areola inconspicuous. Fl. Jun-Nov.
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