Erect perennial herb, up to 60 cm, blackening on drying; stems several arising from a woody base, ± branched above, scabrid to pubescent thoughout; roots orange. Leaves oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 20–45(–84) mm long, and 6–20(–35) mm wide, base narrowing into a short petiole or leaves sessile, apex obtuse to emarginate, margins entire to irregularly and shallowly dentate to crenate, strongly 3-veined from the base, scabrid on both surfaces. Flowers in lax terminal racemes; bracts lanceolate, 3–4 mm; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 3–4 mm, arising 2–3 mm below the calyx; pedicels elongating in fruit to 50 mm. Calyx campanulate, 9–15(–25) mm long, 10-veined; lobes triangular, acute, ± 3 mm, hispid-scabrid outside and inside. Corolla yellow to orange or white, red- or purple-veined, 20–30 mm, ± glabrous to shortly glandular-pubescent on the outer surface; corolla lobes rounded, glabrous to minutely pubescent. Capsule ovoid, 9–15 mm long. Fig. 32, p. 109.
