Herbs, perennial, (5-)10-20(-30) cm tall; stems and petioles of radical leaves attenuate to filiform underground base. Storage roots numerous, fascicled, narrowly spindle-shaped, 1-5 cm, 2-4 mm thick, attenuate to base. Stems few to several, simple, with 2 alternate or subopposite leaves in upper 1/2. Radical leaves few; petiole 2-9 cm; blade glaucous abaxially, green-glossy adaxially, pinnate, 1-3 × 1-4 cm, abaxially nearly always with stiff 1-celled hairs along very prominent veins, sometimes with finer papillae along margin; pinnae 2 or 3 pairs, linear-lanceolate, 5-25 × 1-4 mm, entire. Cauline leaves subsessile; blade like radical leaves; pinnae lanceolate to linear, 7-20 × 1-4 mm. Raceme 1.5-3 cm, 6-13-flowered; lower bracts lanceolate, entire or usually deeply 5-7-divided to deeply pectinate-dentate, upper bracts less divided. Pedicel 10-12 mm, stout, recurved in fruit. Sepals whitish, 0.2-0.5 × 1(-2) mm, dentate. Petals sky blue, purple, or yellow; upper petal navicular-ovate, 15-17 mm, abaxial crest 1-1.5 mm wide; spur straight or apically slightly downcurved, slightly tapering to apex; nectary 1/2-2/3 as long as spur; lower petal 7-9 mm; inner petals 6-8 mm. Stigma square, rather broad; simple marginal papillae: median 2 distinct, lateral broad and indistinct; geminate papillae lateral (submarginal) and in basal corners. Capsule narrowly elliptic, 4-7 mm, 3-6-seeded. Seeds ca. 1 mm; caruncle small. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
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