General:
Parasitic herb from a coarse, tuber-like, fleshy root; stems branched, clustered, thickened at the base, short glandular-hairy, pale purple, 3-16 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves scaly-bracteate, alternate, short glandular-hairy.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of few flowers in round-topped clusters; corollas purple, 2-3 cm long, the lips 4-9 mm long, stalked, the stalks 0.5-3 cm long, with leaves; calyces 12-18 mm long, the lobes longer than the tubes, erect to spreading; anthers woolly-hairy.

Fruits:
Capsules; seeds numerous, angled, net-veined, less than 0.7 mm long.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia