a much-branched perennial herb 5–8 ft. high; stems and branches obtusely quadrangular, pubescent; leaves long-petioled, ovate, acute, crenate, densely pubescent on both sides, rounded, truncate or shortly cuneate at the base; petioles reaching 2 in. long, pubescent; flowers in dense spikes growing out to 2–3 in. long, 1 1/2 in. in diam. (excl. the corollas); bracts 2–3 lin. long, narrowly linear, slightly wider at the top than the base, pubescent; calyx reaching 1/2 in. long; tube 1 lin. long in flower, narrowly campanulate, pubescent, reaching in fruit 2 lin. long, strongly nerved, curved, with 5 submembranous processes which project above the mouth of the calyx alternating with its teeth and close over its mouth; teeth reaching nearly 5 lin. long, becoming very rigid and spine-like in fruit, pubescent; corolla bright blue; tube sharply deflexed at about 2 1/4 lin. from its base and narrowly cylindric (scarcely 1/2 lin. in diam.) above the deflexion, much dilated to about 1 3/4 lin. broad for 2 lin. below it; upper lip 1 3/4 lin. long, cuneate-oblong, with 4 rounded apical lobes; lower lip 3–3 1/2 lin. long, nearly 2 lin. deep, boat-shaped, with intruded apex, pubescent outside; stamens not exserted beyond the lower lip, upper pair 2 lin. long, lower 3 lin. long; style longer than the stamens, shortly 2-fid. null