Japan Flora: Rhizomes short; stems 15니0 cm. long, simple or branched, rather promi­nently whitish recurved-hairy, usually with a tuft of leaves from the abbreviated lateral branches in axils; cauline leaves rather thick, linear or narrowly oblong-lanceolate, 2-5 cm. long, 2-5 mm. wide, obtuse, acute at base, entire, recurved on margin, glabrous and lustrous above, loosely ascending-puberu- lent on the raised midrib bcneatli, the petioles 1-3 (-7) mm. long; spikes 2-5 cm. long, densely flowered, the bracts narrowly ovate, shorter than the calyx except the lower ones; calyx 12-15 mm. long, rather unequally 5-lobed to near the middle, narrow, usually spreading-pubescent, with raised nerves, the lobes short spine-tipped; corolla 3-3.5 cm. long, blue-purple, pubescent externally; anthers bearded; nutlets ovate-orbicular, compressed-trigonous, black, about 2.5 mm. long, rounded on both ends, the areole transversely oblong, white. June-July. Sunny dry slopes in mountains;

Hokkaido, Honshu (Kinki Distr. and northw.). Korea, n. China, Manchuria, and e. Siberia.