Herbs, perennial, 15-40(-60) cm tall, glabrous. Rootstock 2-3 cm, stout, with long soft fleshy roots 1-2 mm in diam., with 2-sided apical leaf rosette. Stems radiating, 3-12, decumbent at base, ascending (in shaded subalpine places erect), branched, with 4-7(-10) leaves in upper 2/3. Rosette leaves several; petiole 5-11 cm, long vaginate with membranous margin; blade ob-long, 7-15(-20) × 3-6(-10) cm, bipinnate; pinnae in 3-5 pairs, nearly sessile or lower sometimes very long stalked; pinnules usually 3, deeply 3-6-lobed; segments lanceolate to oblong, 3-6 × 2-3 mm. Cauline leaves like basal leaves, lower petiolate, upper sessile; blade 3-10 × 2-4 cm, with 2-4 pairs of leaflets. Raceme subspicate, very dense, 20-40-flowered, 4-10 cm; flowers often nutant; bracts obovate to lanceolate, 5-10(-15) mm, entire or lower (rarely most) ones often divided, sometimes with purplish margin. Pedicel erect, 5-10 mm. Sepals early withering, turning brown, broadly ovate, 2-3(-4) × 2-3 mm, finely and shallowly dentate (NE) to deeply laciniate dentate (SW). Corolla yellow or cream with yellow tip, sometimes with a purplish suffusion on spur, rarely purple with white apex; inner petals with blue dorsal crests, rarely dark purple. Outer petals rounded, obtuse to subacute, with 1-2-mm-wide entire crest usually overtopping apex; upper petal 16-20 mm; spur strongly curved in a tight semicircle, apex thickened, 4-6 mm (measured in middle of spur); nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal with narrow claw; inner petals 11-13 mm, with swollen dorsal crests overtopping apex. Stigma square, emarginate, with 4-6 marginal simple papillae; geminate papillae lateral (sometimes missing) and in basal corners (sometimes missing). Capsule lanceolate, ca. 15 × 4-5 mm, 8-14-seeded; style 3.5-4 mm. Seeds in 2 rows, 1.8-2.1 mm, almost smooth (finely reticulate under strong lens). Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.
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