Herbs, perennial. Rootstock swollen, irregularly branched, becoming hollow with age, crowned by several scale leaves. Stems few to several, erect, 30-50(-80) cm, thick, hollow, strongly sulcate with sharp ridges, usually not branched, with 3-5 leaves in upper 1/2. Radical leaves: petiole long, 10-20 cm, with vaginate base; blade ovate, 12-20 × 10-17 cm, bipinnate; primary leaflets petiolulate; secondary leaflets shortly petiolulate to sessile, ca. 3.5 × 3 cm, base decurrent, deeply divided; ultimate segments oblong, obtuse to subacute. Cauline leaves like basal leaves, but shortly petiolate and smaller, rapidly decreasing in size upward. Racemes capitate, densely 20-35-flow-ered, elongating in fruit; lower bracts to 3 × 2 cm, much cut into linear lobes; upper bracts lanceolate, entire. Pedicel 4-10(-17) mm. Sepals 2-3 mm, ovate, coarsely toothed, acute, rarely acuminate. Flowers yellow, apex sometimes orangish; apex of inner petals contrastingly blackish purple; upper petal 18-22 mm, narrow, narrowly crested and acute at apex; spur straight or slightly curved apically, cylindric, ca. 10 mm, thick, rounded-obtuse; nectary extended through ca. 2/3 of spur; lower petal navicular, acute; inner petals 8-11 mm. Stigma nearly orbicular, with 8 papillae. Capsule ovoid or elliptic, dorsiventrally flattened, 10-20 × 5-7 mm. Seeds in 2 rows, black, shiny, ca. 2 mm; caruncle ca. 1.5 mm, narrow. Fl. and fr. May.
Home