Perennial herb, taproot becoming much thickened and often carrot-like with age, up to 15 mm diam., crown without a thick clump of vegetative buds though a few buds may be present; stems one or several from the crown, simple, or occasionally branched, erect or ascending, up to 450 mm long, with retrorse white hairs, leafy. Leaves on lower part of stem mostly 40-70 x 19 mm, decreasing in size upwards, at least upper leaves sharply ascending, all elliptic, lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, margins entire or with a few callose teeth, glabrous or with a few hairs on margins and midline. Flowers several to many, the spike elongating in fruit, flowers opening at dusk or in dull light. Bracts adnate to calyx for 2.5-4 mm, lanceolate, obtuse to shortly acuminate, mostly 13-24 mm long, margins entire or with an occasional callose tooth towards the apex, glabrous. Calyx 9-14 mm long, lips 4-6.5 mm, glabrous except for hairy margins at tips. Corolla tube 35-52 mm long, pubescent, with glandular hairs up to 0.3 mm long, eglandular 0.4-0.7 mm, limb held horizontally, regular; mouth with circlet of unicellular hairs; lobes 5-10 mm long, deeply notched, rose pink to dark crimson and glandular-puberulous outside, white inside, generally glandular-puberulous, rarely glabrous. Stamens 4, anticous anthers 1-1.8 mm long, shortly exserted, posticous ones 3.5-4.5 mm long, included. Stigma 8 mm long, exserted. Capsule 12-13 x 4 mm. Seeds c. 1 x 0.8 mm, angled, colliculate, pallid. Flowering in any month.
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