General:
Perennial herb from a taproot surmounted by a frequently branched, largely underground stem-base; stems usually several, ascending to erect, 10-40 cm tall, minutely grey-hairy, sometimes also long-soft-hairy above and glandular-hairy in the inflorescence.

Leaves:
Opposite, entire to remotely toothed; basal and lower leaves lanceolate to egg-shaped, stalked, to 13 cm long; upper leaves lanceolate to oblong, nearly unstalked, 3-7 cm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a terminal cluster of several whorls of stalked flowers, the stalks glandular-hairy; corollas tubular, flaring at the mouth, (1.5) 2-4 cm long, pale lavender to blue-purple, lines of deeper colour within, strongly 2-lipped, the upper lip 2-lobed, the lower lip 3-lobed, longer than the upper, strongly bearded in the throat; calyces 7-13 mm long, 5-lobed, the lobes lanceolate, long-tapering to a sharp tip, sticky-hairy; fertile stamens 4, the anthers essentially smooth; sterile stamen exserted, coiled at the tip, long yellow-bearded most of its length.

Fruits:
Capsules, broadly oval, long-pointed, 6-12 mm long, glandular-hairy near the tip; seeds numerous, 2-3 mm long.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia