Herbs, perennial. Rootstock stout, crowned by fibrous remnants of petioles. Stems few to several, 20-30 cm, sparingly branched, with 4 or 5 leaves. Radical leaves 14-25 cm, including petiole 7-8 cm, triangular in outline, bipinnate with stalked primary leaflets; leaflets ternately cut to ca. 2/3 into obovate lobes often again shallowly 2-or 3-fid. Cauline leaves simply pinnate to sub-bipinnate, subsessile, lowermost pair of pinnae small, distant from other and "stipular" in appearance; leaflets ovate in outline, shallowly cut into broad obtuse lobes. Racemes subsecund, 9-15-flowered, dense, elongating in fruit; axillary racemes from uppermost leaves common; bracts obovate-rhombic, 5-7 mm, cuneate or with a distinct stalk, entire, acuminate at apex, upper ones smaller and narrower; lowermost bract sometimes larger and slightly divided. Pedicel 7-8 mm, elongating to 12 mm and arcuately recurved in fruit. Sepals 5-8 × 3-4 mm, lacerate-dentate, often with narrow apex. Corolla purple, lilac, dull pink, or white flushed with red; outer petals with high short dentate crests; spur 10-13 mm, not tapering toward obtuse slightly downcurved apex; nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal broadly saccate except for short claw, with broad distal 1/3; inner petals 10-12 mm, darker at apex. Stigma with 8 papillae. Capsule oblong, 5-8-seeded. Fl. and fr. Jun-Aug.
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