Herbs or subshrubs, to 40 cm tall, branched, anisophyllous. Stems 4-angled, sulcate, glabrous except for pubescent nodes. Petiole 3-7 cm; leaf blade ovate-elliptic, smaller of pair 1-1.7 × 0.7-1.2 cm and larger one 3-5.5 × 2-3 cm, both surfaces glabrous, abaxially cystoliths prominent, whitish, and dense along veins, adaxially with prominent linear cystoliths, secondary veins 4-6 on each side of midvein, base subrounded, margin serrulate, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, headlike simple spikes, 3-or 4-flowered; peduncle ca. 3 cm, apically thickened; bracts elliptic, 6-12 mm, caducous, abaxially densely covered with cystoliths, margin ciliate, apex acute; bracteoles linear, ca. 5 × 1 mm, caducous, abaxially sparsely hirsute. Calyx 5-lobed almost to base; lobes oblong-elliptic, 6-7 × ca. 1.5 mm, slightly unequal with one longer than others, outside glabrous, margin ciliate. Corolla purple, ca. 4 cm, ventricose, outside glabrous, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 2.5 mm wide for ca. 1.2 cm then gradually widened to ca. 1.3 cm at mouth; lobes orbicular, ca. 6 mm in diam., apex emarginate. Stamens 4, included; filaments glabrous; shorter filament pair ca. 3 mm, equal, incurved; longer filament pair 6-8 mm, unequal, erect; anther thecae subspherical, ca. 1.3 mm in diam., nodding. Ovary sparsely gland-tipped pilose at tip; style ca. 3 cm, sparsely gland-tipped pilose at base. Capsule not seen. Fl. Dec.
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