Herbs, perennial, 30-40 cm tall. Rhizome to 3 cm, with fleshy fibrous roots and residual petiolar bases. Stems 1 to few from each rhizome branch but often several per plant, erect, branched and leafy above with 2-4 leaves (sometimes with a long-stalked leaf at base similar to radical leaves). Radical leaves 2-6; petiole 13-20 cm; blade glaucous abaxially, slightly glaucous adaxially, 5-6 × 7-11 cm, ternate to biternate; primary leaflets with petiolule 3-10 mm, deeply ternatisect; segments broadly obovate, entire to apically slightly 3-divided, often with conspicuous red dot in sinus of incision; lobes broad, obtuse. Cauline leaves subsessile; blade like radical leaves. Raceme (3-)6-12-flowered, lax; bracts ovate to oblanceolate, 10-15 mm, lower divided, upper ones narrow, entire. Pedicel 10-20 mm, slender, erect in fruit. Sepals 0.3-1 × 0.5-1 mm, entire to finely dentate. Corolla blue to purple, inner petals whitish or sometimes dorsal crests pale blue; outer petals acuminate with short narrow dentate crest (rarely lacking); upper petal 23-25 mm; spur straight or downcurved at tip, cylindric, 12-14 mm; nectary 1/2-2/3 as long as spur; lower petal 11-13 mm, claw with distinct subbasal gibbosity, gradually widened into rhombic acuminate limb with dentate margin; inner petals 10-11 mm. Stigma square, with 4-6 simple marginal papillae; geminate papillae lateral (clearly submarginal) and in basal corners. Capsule pendent from erect pedicel, obovoid, 9-15 × 3(-4) mm, 4-9-seeded, explosively dehiscent; style ca. 4 mm. Seeds 1.3-1.5 mm; elaiosome short, appressed. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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