A new species, Chelonopsis praecox Weckerle & F. Huber (Lamiaceae, Lamioideae) from southwest China, is described and illustrated, and its relationship to morphologically similar species is discussed. Chelonopsis praecox differs from the other species of the genus by its characteristic to bear flowers and fruits in springtime and early summer, before the development of leaves during the summer rainy season, while all other Chelonopsis species flower during summer or autumn. Prominent distinguishing morphological features are found in the stem bark, leaf size and indumentum, and inflorescences. So far, the species is only known from the northern part of the Shuiluo Valley in southwest Sichuan; additional collections are necessary to clarify its full distributional range.