Herbs, perennial, 30-60 cm tall, glabrous to finely papillose-pubescent at base. Rhizome much branched. Stems many, erect, straight, ± branched throughout, often reddish at nodes, with 5-10 scattered leaves; upper branches thin with few leaves. Radical and lower cauline leaves: petiole 5-15 cm; blade glaucous abaxially, green adaxially, triangular, biternate, 4-8 × 4-9 cm; primary leaflets stalked; secondary leaflets sessile, base narrowly cuneate, deeply ternatisect, often with purplish spots at incision; lobes again ± cut into acute to shortly acuminate lanceolate lobes. Upper cauline leaves progressively smaller with short petiole; uppermost petioles 3-5 mm, blade ca. 2 cm. Racemes at first dense, at fruiting to 8-15 cm, 10-22-flowered (lateral racemes smaller); lower bracts 10-20 mm, stalked, twice deeply ternatisect into narrowly lanceolate to linear acute lobes, upper 6-9 mm, oblanceolate with a few long lateral teeth, uppermost entire. Pedicel 7-15 mm, 10-20 mm in fruit, thin, erect. Sepals white, 1.5-2.5 × 1-2 mm, margin finely lacerate-dentate. Corolla pale blue to purplish blue or purple; inner petals white. Outer petals navicular, with narrow shortly acuminate apex, without crest; upper petal 18-23 mm, spur straight or downcurved at apex, narrowly cylindric or slightly tapering, 9-13 mm; nectary (1/2-)2/3 as long as spur; lower petal with narrowly rhombic limb, gradually narrowed to claw; inner petals (8-)9-11 mm. Stigma quadrangular; marginal apical papillae: 2 median distinct, lateral diffuse; geminate papillae lateral (sometimes lacking) and in basal corners; basal lobes poorly developed. Capsule reflexed from straight erect pedicel, linear, 14-18 × ca. 1.5 mm, 12-17-seeded; style ca. 2.5 mm. Seeds in 1 row, ca. 1 mm, smooth. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
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