Perennial herb. Stems sturdy, 100-200 cm, fistulose, purplish or brown, glabrous or with a prominent covering of dendroid-stellate hairs. Leaves broadly ovate, 10-15 (-20) x 10-15 (-20) cm, deeply cordate, crenate, rugose, discolorous, above greenish with a sparse indumentum of short simple hairs, below white canescent-tomentose with dendroid-stellate hairs; petiole 10-15 cm on basal leaves, shorter on scattered cauline leaves. Verticillasters in axils of upper leaves, 3-5, distant, 10-20-flowered, 3-4 cm in diameter. Bracts subulate, stiffly pungent, somewhat spreading from calyces and equalling or shorter than them. Calyx 14-16 mm, densely covered with ± adpressed dendroid-stellate hairs and at apex with some long simple hairs; teeth markedly unequal ± 4 mm and 6 mm, rigid, spiny. Corolla rose or pink, c. 2.5 cm; upper lip falcate, white bearded on inner margins and densely covered with dendroid-stellate hairs usually with one very long ray and several much smaller ones. Mature outlets not seen.