Herbs, perennial, 18-60 cm tall, glabrous. Rhizome 1-4 cm × ca. 2 mm, in younger part (1-1.5 cm) densely clad with remnants of petiolar bases in 2 rows; apical leaf rosette present, though sometimes early withering. Stems 1-4, firm, erect, strongly sulcate, simple or branched above, with 3(-5) scattered leaves in upper part, and often a long-stalked leaf close to base; leaves sometimes with dark axillary bulbils; branches strict, thin, erect. Basal leaves often withered at anthesis; petiole 3-10 cm, shortly and broadly vaginate; blade green or glaucous abaxially, green, sometimes with purple or pale color around midvein adaxially, orbicular-triangular, 2-4 × 2-5 cm, biternate; primary pinnae shortly petiolulate; ultimate leaflets sessile, deeply ternatisect, lobes entire or again shallowly 2-or 3-lobed; ultimate segments oblong, obtuse, often dark mucronate. Cauline leaves sessile, broadly ovate, 2-6 × 2-6 cm, smaller upward, triternatisect with cuneate lobes. Raceme dense in flower (laxer at base), 3-8 cm, (10-)15-40-flowered (lateral racemes smaller); lower bracts like upper leaf (biternatisect); middle bracts obovate to oblanceolate, 5-10 mm, entire or often with pinnately arranged small oblong lobes or teeth. Pedicel straight, 10-15(-20) mm, thin. Sepals early falling, white, orbicular, peltate, 1.5-2.5 × 1-2.5 mm, finely circumdentate. Petals blue to purple; inner petals whitish; upper petal 21-29 mm, broadly crested (ca. 3 mm); spur cylindric or slightly attenuate, (10-)13-15 mm; nectary ca. 2/3 as long as spur; lower petal 14-17 mm; inner petals 12-14 mm. Stigma square; marginal simple papillae: median 2 distinct, lateral diffuse or confluent; geminate papillae lateral (submarginal) and on well-developed basal lobes. Capsule linear to oblong, 10-15(-20) × 1(-2) mm, 8-13(-17)-seeded; style ca. 3 mm. Seeds in 1 or rarely almost 2 rows, rounded to subquadrangular, 1.2-1.3 mm, smooth, with small deeply lobed elaiosome. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
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