Herbs, 30-70 cm tall. Rhizome stout, short, sometimes long creeping, 0.5-2.5 cm in diam. Leaves basal and cauline, trifoliolate; leaflets adaxially deep green, narrowly ovate or lanceolate, 3-18 × 1.5-7 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially glaucous, with dense or sparse shortly appressed fairly stout bristles, sometimes nearly glabrous, adaxially glabrous, base cordate, terminal leaflet with equal rounded lobes, lateral leaflets oblique with outer lobes large and rounded, inner lobes smaller and rounded, margin closely spinose-serrate, apex long acuminate. Flowering stem with 2 trifoliolate opposite leaves, sometimes 3-whorled. Panicle 10-50-flowered, 12-25 cm, with lower peduncles loosely 3-5-flowered, glabrous or glandular pubescent. Pedicel 1-4 cm. Flowers yellow, white, rose-purple, or pale violet, large, 3-4 cm in diam. Outer sepals 4, outer pair ovate-oblong, ca. 3 × 2 mm, inner pair broadly obovate, ca. 4.5 × 4 mm; inner sepals ovate-elliptic, 8-12 × 3-7 mm, apically acute. Petals curving outward, horn-shaped, much longer than inner sepals, 1.5-2.5 cm, tapering from swollen but lamina-less base. Stamens 3-4 mm; anthers ca. 2.5 mm, valved, revolute. Capsule ca. 2 cm; style long rostrate. Seeds numerous. Fl. Apr-May, fr. May-Jul. 2n = 12*.
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