Biennial, taprooted herb. Stems to c. 1 m tall, sometimes branched, with scattered long white hairs, with or without hairs with bulbous red bases. Rosette lvs long-petiolate; lamina to 27 × 4 cm, lanceolate to elliptic, with short curly hairs, sometimes hairs ± appressed; midrib pale; margins subentire to denticulate or sinuate; base cuneate to attenuate; apex acute. Cauline lvs with winged petiole or apetiolate; lamina smaller but otherwise similar. Infl. many- or few-flowered, its stem simple or branched; rachis and ovary densely clothed in glandular hairs. Fls crepuscular. Floral tube 3-4.5 cm long, slender, densely clothed in glandular hairs. Buds narrow-lanceolate, erect. Sepals to 3.5 cm long, glandular-hairy; apices mucronate, not or only slightly divergent. Petals 2-3.5 cm long, broad-obovate, yellow. Style exserted by 0.7-2.5 cm, < to > stamens. Capsules 1.5-3.3 cm long, cylindric but widening slightly towards base, ribbed, densely clothed in glandular hairs. Seeds 1.5-2 mm long, sharply angular, very irregular.