Herbs, perennial, 20-50 cm tall. Rhizome short, with several coarse roots, with apical leaf rosette, persistent petiolar bases not prominent. Stems 1-3, erect, base purple, above pale green, simple, with 2 or 3(or 4) scattered leaves in upper 1/2. Basal leaves few, 2-3 × 2-3 cm; petiole 5-20 cm, base fleshy-vaginate; blade glaucous abaxially, green adaxially, broadly ovate, biternate; primary pinnae petiolulate; terminal leaflets deeply 3-divided, lobes again slightly 2-or 3-divided; lobules obovate to narrowly oblong. Cauline leaves sessile, ternate, with ± deeply ternatisect to sub-biternatisect leaflets, becoming smaller and less divided upward. Raceme 3-6 cm, very dense, 10-19-flowered, more lax in fruit; most bracts elliptic, 5-13 mm, entire; lowest bract like uppermost cauline leaf, deeply palmatisect with larger mid-lobe. Pedicel erect, 7-15 mm. Sepals narrowly ovate, ca. 2 × 0.5 mm, margin dentate, apex long acuminate. Corolla blue to purple. Outer petals with short broad (ca. 2 mm) entire obtuse crest much overtopping petal apex; upper petal navicular-ovate, 19-22 mm; spur straight, cylindric, 8-9 mm; nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal 10-12 mm, claw short and broad with distinct small spur at base, gradually widened to broadly rhombic limb; inner petals ca. 10 mm. Stigma square; marginal simple papillae unknown; geminate papillae lateral (submarginal) and in basal corners. Capsule elliptic, 10-12 × 3-4 mm, 10-12-seeded; style ca. 3.5 mm. Seeds smooth. Fl. and fr. Jun-Aug.
Home