An annual herb, 15—60(—80) cm tall, stems erect. Leaves spirally arranged, lower leaves occasionally opposite, lanceolate to narrowly elliptical, 3—10(—15) cm x 1.5—3 cm, base cuneate, apex acute, margins serrate, several dark glands towards the base, sessile or shortly petiolate. Flowers 1—3 together in leaf-axils, variable in size, up to 3.5 cm long, pedicel slender, 1—1.6 cm long, sepals 3, lower sepal deeply navicular, 13—21 mm long, abruptly constricted into a curved filiform spur 13—24 mm long, dorsal petal cucullate, 10—14 mm long, long-mucronate at apex, lateral united petals 25 mm long, upper petal oblong, 9—11 mm long, obtuse, lower petal suborbicular, 18—27 mm long, unevenly bilobed; corolla red, purple, white, or variegated. Capsule broadly fusiform, 12—20 mm x 6—8 mm, densely pubescent.

As a tonic, fungicidal, bactericidal and haemostatic (flowers)

Philippine Medicinal Herbs
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used to poultice wounds, inflammations of the skin, pustules, torn nails and felons (leaves or roots); have a cooling effect on burns and scalds, and against rheumatism (flowers); used for snake bite, contusion, painful inflammation, carbuncles, dysmenorrhea, intercostal neuralgia and lumbago (decoction of dried flowers or seed or whole plant); for external use on any bruise or painful area (crushed plant).