Perennial, erect, undershrub; stem 4 angled, villous; leaves oblong-lanceolate, obtuse at apex, cuneate or shortly contracted at the base, thinly pubescent above, moderate-densely pubescent beneath; flowers in shortly pedunculate, erect or drooping spikes; bracts very large, densely pubescent, foliaceous, showy, often rose or purple; bracteoles pale, pubescent; sepals-5, lanceolate, acute, finely pubescent; corolla white, palate speckled with purple, 2-lipped, tube, longer than limbs, upper lip ovate, oblong, shallowly 2-lobed, lower lip, spathulate, shortly 3-lobed, imbricate in bud; stamens-2, scarsely exserted, inserted in the upper half of the corlla tube, filaments glabrous or hairy near the base, anthers 1-celled, narrowly oblong, spurred at the base; ovary 2-celled, ovules 2 in each, style minutely bifid, filiform; stigma simple; capsules oblong, apiculate, 4-seeded; seeds compressed, smooth or muricate.