Herbs, perennial, 20-50 cm tall. Rhizome short, with apical leaf rosette, some roots slightly thickened. Stems decumbent-ascending, ribbed, usually with late branches above, with 4 or 5(-8) scattered stalked leaves. Rosette leaves: petiole 2-3 cm, base vaginate; blade 1(-2) × 1(-2) cm. Cauline leaves: lower petiole 3-7 cm, upper 1-2 cm; blade abaxially glaucous and often finely papillose, adaxially green or glaucous, broadly ovate, 2-4 × 2-4 cm, unequally biternate; primary leaflets petiolulate; ultimate leaflets sessile, deeply 2-or 3-divided, lobes shallowly 2-6 cut into rounded mucronulate teeth or lobules. Raceme 5-10-flowered; lowermost bract 10-25 mm, like upper leaf but shortly stalked, middle biternatisect to flabellate-divided, uppermost oblanceolate, entire, 4-10 mm. Pedicel erect, 6-12 mm, thin, forming an open angle (> 90°) with lower petal. Sepals (2-)3-4 × 2-3 mm, finely fimbriate-dentate. Corolla purple; outer petals subobtuse, dentate, with very narrow dentate crest; upper petal 15-17 mm; spur downcurved at apex, cylindric, 7-9 mm; nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal 8-9 mm, straight or with very small gibbosity at base; inner petals ca. 7 mm. Stigma square; simple marginal papillae: 2 median distinct, lateral broad, indistinct; geminate papillae lateral (submarginal) and in basal corners. Fruit unknown. Fl. May-Jul.
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