Diffusely branched perennial 1-4 dm, the stems hispid- hirsute, the lvs appressed-hirsute, the cal hispid-hirsute along the nerves; lvs petiolate, 2-6 cm, pinnatifid, or ternate with ±bipinnatifid segments; spikes pedunculate, short at anthesis, later elongating; bracts linear- subulate, mostly longer than the cal; cal 8.5-10 mm, the slender lobes unequal; cor pink to purple, the tube half again as long as the cal, the limb 7-10 mm wide, the lobes emarginate; nutlets 3 mm; 2n=30. Dry plains and other open places; S.D. to Ariz. and La., barely entering our range in nw. Mo. Feb.-Dec.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.