Herbs 30-100 cm tall, isophyllous. Stems erect, basally glabrescent, apically pubescent. Petiole 0.5-3.5 cm, thinly pubescent to glabrescent; leaf blade ovate, obovate, or broadly elliptic, 3-11 × 2-6.5 cm, both surfaces thinly white pubescent especially along veins, secondary veins 5-9 on each side of midvein, base cuneate and often decurrent onto petiole, margin serrate to crenate, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, spikes, 3-10 cm, often forming a diffuse panicle of spikes; rachis gland-tipped pilose; bracts variable in size and shape; basal bracts leaflike, sessile, ovate, 2-5 × 0.5-2 cm, persistent, margin often toothed; apical bracts oblong to sometimes elliptic, 5-12 × 1-2 mm, persistent until flowers fall; bracteoles linear, 4-5 × ca. 1 mm, white gland-tipped pilose. Flowers basally to 2.5 cm apart on rachis but apically congested. Calyx 0.8-1.6 cm, accrescent in fruit, gland-tipped pilose, 5-lobed almost to base; lobes linear, 7-12 × ca. 1 mm, one longer and becoming spatulate. Corolla blue, 3-3.6 cm, curved, outside pubescent on lobes, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 2 mm wide for ca. 8 mm, slightly bent at mouth, and gradually widened to ca. 1.2 cm at mouth; lobes ovate, ca. 4 × 4 mm. Stamens 4, included; shorter filament pair 2-3 mm, glabrous; longer filament pair 7-8 mm, sparsely pilose; anther thecae oblong, ca. 2 × 1.3 mm, erect; pollen type 3. Ovary comose; style 2.7-3.2 cm, sparsely gland-tipped pilose. Capsule 1.1-1.4 cm, gland-tipped pilose at tip, 4-seeded. Seeds ovate in outline, ca. 3 × 2 mm, densely appressed pubescent. Fl. Jun-Oct.
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