Herbs, perennial, 20-50(-70) cm tall. Rootstock shallowly to deeply buried, usually ± vertical, oblong, 0.5-1.5 cm in diam., with 1 to few annual stems from apex. Underground part of stem 1-13 cm, simple; aerial part 25-50(-70) cm, angular-ridged, much branched from base, with several strict branches further branched above. Leaves grayish green, glaucous abaxially, slightly thick, often slightly papillose-scabrid on veins abaxially; petioles of lower leaves 5-15 cm, long vaginate at base; upper petioles 2-6 cm; blade triangular in outline, 4-12 × 5-12 cm, 2-3 × ternate (to bi-[tri-]pinnate) with shallowly to deeply divided leaflets with blade decurrent on petiolules; ultimate lobes oblong to flabellate, with few mucronate teeth at apex. Racemes long and narrow, (5-)10-20-flowered, simple, rarely branched at base; bracts 4-10 mm, shortly stalked, once to twice deeply ternately or digitately cleft into narrow acute lobes. Pedicel 2-5(-8) mm, strongly reflexed in fruit. Sepals whitish, 0.5-1 mm, finely dentate. Corolla orange to dark yellow, with darker veins; inner petals not dark tipped; outer petals subacute to obtuse, with dentate margin; upper petal usually upcurved, crest ± decurrent on spur, shorter than, reaching, or overtopping apex, much dentate; spur 6-7 mm; nectary ca. 2/3 as long as spur; lower petal straight or minutely saccate at base, with small dentate crest; inner petals 6-7 mm. Stigma obtusely square, with 4 simple apical papillae. Fruit oblong, (6-)8-10 × 1.5-2 mm, 3-6-seeded; style ca. 2 mm. Seeds 1.3-1.5 mm, smooth, with small, shortly lobed elaiosome. Fl. and fr. Jul-Oct.
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