Herbs, perennial, 30-40 cm tall, glabrous. Rhizome horizontal, densely clothed with thick fleshy scales. Stems suberect, simple, with 2-4 leaves in upper 1/2. Radical leaves 2-4; petiole 10-17 cm; blade triangular, 6-9 × 6-10 cm, biternate; leaflets deeply cut into narrowly oblong lobes. Cauline leaves like radical but smaller and upper shortly stalked. Raceme 5-11-flowered, dense in anthesis, slightly elongating in fruit; lower bracts much divided into narrow acute or acuminate lobes, progressively smaller upward; uppermost ones occasionally entire, 10-20 mm. Pedicels suberect, 15-20 mm, only slightly elongating in fruit, equaling or usually longer than bracts. Sepals rounded, 1-2 × 1-2 mm, finely dentate. Corolla purple to pale red; upper petal 28-30 mm, broadly obtuse, without crest; spur straight or slightly curved, ca. 15 mm, thick, obtuse; nectary ca. 1/2 as long as spur; lower petal straight, 19-20 mm, ecristate, claw narrow, gradually expanded to broad subobtuse, shortly acuminate limb; inner petals 15-17 mm. Stigma square, narrowly emarginate to 1/3, marginal simple papillae 6; geminate papillae lateral and in basal corners; basal lobes not developed. Capsule pendent from thin erect pedicel, obovoid, 10-12 × ca. 4 mm, with narrow base and broad obtuse apex, 10-16-seeded, valves thick; style ca. 4 mm. Fl. Apr, fr. May.