Herbs, perennial, gray-glaucous, 2-4 cm above scree surface (6-15 cm below), glabrous; stems and petioles of radical leaves attenuate to thin underground base. Rhizome obvious, vertical, to 1 cm; storage roots fasciculate, tapering distally, 3-9 cm × 1-2 mm. Bulb prominent, 5-14 × 4-8 mm, of several pale fleshy scales. Stems 2-5, with 2 subopposite leaves. Radical leaves 2-5; petiole underground, 7-12 cm, thin; blade gray-glaucous on both surfaces, with small dark spots or streaks, broadly ovate to triangular in outline, 2-3 × 2-2.5 cm, bi-to triternate; leaflets stalked, once to almost 3 × deeply ternatisect; ultimate lobes 80-150, narrowly linear, 0.3-0.6(-1) mm wide, acute, mucronate. Cauline leaves shortly petiolate to subsessile, like radical leaves, pinnae rather long stalked. Raceme corymbose, 4-7-flowered, 1-2 cm; bracts 10-20 mm, base narrowly cuneate, deeply divided into 7-14, narrowly linear, acute lobes. Pedicel 9-20 mm, erect in flower, 10-30 mm and apically arcuate in fruit. Sepals orbicular, ca. 1.5 × 2 mm, finely and sharply dentate. Corolla pale to bright blue; inner petals darker at tip; outer petals subobtuse, sometimes shortly acuminate, crest to 1 mm wide, tapering to both ends, slightly undulate-dentate, slightly overtopping apex; upper petal 14-18 mm, spur straight, cylindric, 6-8 mm; nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal 8-10 mm with broad ovate slightly undulate limb, claw straight or with small gibbosity at very base; inner petals 7-8 mm. Stigma broader than long, slightly emarginate; marginal papillae: median distinct, lateral broader and diffuse; geminate papillae in basal corners; basal lobes poorly developed. Capsule sharply reflexed from suberect apically arcuate pedicel, narrowly oblong, 8-13 × ca. 2 mm, 4-9-seeded; style ca. 2.5 mm. Seeds 1.2-1.3 mm. Fl. Aug-Sep.
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