Perennial herbs. Leaves basal and cauline; cauline in whorls of 3, 4 or 5 or partly opposite. Inflorescence a raceme, varying from short and head-like to long and dense or lax. Bracts at least partly covering calyx. Calyx ovoid to campanulate, often inflated, cleft anteriorly or not. Corolla reddish, purplish or more rarely yellow or white; tube equalling or slightly longer than calyx, glabrous outside, sometimes hairy within near insertion of stamens; lower lip stipitate at base, 3-lobed, margins entire and glabrous; galea toothless, with long, strongly curved or coiled beak. Stamens inserted near ovary or in middle of corolla tube; all filaments hairy distally (above middle) and often also at base, otherwise glabrous. Capsule equalling or scarcely longer than calyx, ovoid, valves shortly acuminate.

Twelve species distributed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, NW India, W Nepal; 11 species in Pakistan. A very difficult group showing much parallel variation; revised by R. R. Mill in Edinb. J. Bot. 68: 61. 2011. The only member of the group that does not occur in our area is P. yamazakiana R. R. Mill from Nepal. P. rhynchotricha P. C. Tsoong, which was included in this series by Yang et al. (1998 l.c.) as its only Chinese species, is excluded and segregated as ser. Rhynchotrichae R. R. Mill (R. R. Mill in Edinb. J. Bot. 68: 72. 2011).