Herbs perennial, acaulescent, 3–10 cm tall at anthesis, to 20 cm at fruiting. Rhizome erect, short, 4–20 cm, stout, to 9 mm in diam., often surrounded by remains of leaves of previous year in upper part; roots several, gray-white, long, robust, usually produced from lower part of rhizome, straight descending or sometimes subhorizontal. Leaves numerous, basal; stipules greenish or glaucous, membranous when dry, ca. 2/3 adnate to petioles, lower ones 7–9 mm wide, free part linear-lanceolate, 7–13 mm, margin remotely denticulate; petiole 1–5 cm at anthesis, to 13 cm at fruiting, robust, narrowly winged in upper part, glabrous or puberulous; leaf blade at anthesis oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or narrowly ovate, 1–4.5 cm × 6–20 mm, both surfaces glabrous or puberulous, sometimes hairy only along veins, base slightly cordate, truncate, or broadly cuneate, slightly decurrent, margin usually involute when young, densely crenulate, apex obtuse or ± acute; leaf blade conspicuously enlarged at fruiting, to 10 × 4 cm, triangular-ovate, broadest near middle, base usually broadly cordate. Flowers purple-violet or purplish, light colored and purple striate at throat, large, 1.2–2 cm in diam., not fragrant; pedicels angled, exceeding leaves, robust, 2-bracteolate near middle; bracteoles linear. Capsule narrowly ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous, apex obtuse, often with persistent styles. Seeds numerous, deep brown, ovoid-globose, ca. 2 mm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., often brown-punctate.

Antibacterial and antiinflammatory (whole plant)

A decoction of whole plant can be used alone orally or externally for treating boils and sores, carbuncles, mastitis, and appendicitis. For inflammation and swelling of the eyes, it is used with Flos Chrysanthemi Morifolii (Ju Hua) and Periostracum Cicadae (Chan Tui).

Jing-Nuan Wu. An Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica. P: 654, Oxford University Press, Inc.2005.