Herbs, perennial, low-growing, condensed, very glaucous. Rhizome ± vertical, long, slender, often branched, crowned by long obtuse papery scales. Stems with tapering bases, 5-10 cm, with 0-2(-4) subopposite leaves above, usually supporting branches or axillary racemes. Radical leaves several; petiole 2-4 cm, broadly vaginate at base; blade oblong-ovate, 4-7 × 2-4(-5) cm, tripinnate with 4-6 pairs of primary leaflets; ultimate leaflets entire to divided into small oblanceolate lobes 2-3 × ca. 0.5 mm. Cauline leaves like radical leaves but smaller and less divided; uppermost cauline leaves like lower bracts. Racemes corymbose, very dense, 5-13-flowered; bracts with cuneate stalks, 1.5-2.5 × 1-2 cm, 2-4 × ternately cut into narrow lobes. Pedicel 10-20 mm, erect, at fruiting hooked at apex. Flowers yellowish white to dirty yellow, vertically held, spur usually covered in bracts. Sepals flabellate, ca. 2 × 3 mm, margin with teeth. Outer petals rather broad, without or with narrow crest; upper petal 2-2.5 cm; spur straight, apical part slightly curved, 10-11 mm; nectary extended through ca. 2/3 of spur; lower petal claw broad and flat, equal to limb; limb ± undulate-dentate; inner petals ca. 9 mm. Stigma nearly square, with 8 papillae. Capsule very glaucous, with bluish white waxy bloom, obovoid, ca. 7 × 3 mm, ca. 5-seeded; style 3.5-4 mm.
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A herb that keeps growing from year to year. It has a long slender rhizome or underground stem. The stems taper at the base and are 5-10 cm long. There are several leaves near the base and these are divided 3 times with 4-6 pairs of primary leaflets.
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