Herbs, perennial, occasionally biennial. Rootstock short, plump, with persistent petiolar bases, densely shortly branched rubiginous villous. Stems erect, 30-90(-150) cm tall, stout, to 1.3 cm in diam. at base, simple, glabrous or sparsely rubiginous barbellate-villous. Basal leaves slightly glaucous abaxially, ovate-lanceolate or ovate, 5-15 cm, base 4-7 cm wide, both surfaces shortly branched sparsely barbellate-villous, more densely so on margin and abaxially, midvein prominent, with several transverse bifurcate lateral veins, base cordate or truncate, often decurrent onto petiole, base ampliate to sheath, margin broadly incised-toothed, apex rounded to acute. Lower cauline leaves similar to basal, often more oblong; middle and upper cauline leaves similar but gradually smaller, sessile, auriculate-amplexicaul; uppermost 3 or 4 often aggregated into a false whorl. Inflorescence subumbellate, 3-6-flowered, often with several flowers at leaf axil below whorl, more rarely from lower cauline leaf axils. Flowers nodding to half-nodding, saucer-shaped. Pedicel erect, to 28 cm (elongating in fruit). Flower buds broadly ovoid, 6-8 cm in diam., sparsely rubiginous barbellate-villous. Petals 4, or in terminal flowers 5 or 6, blue or purple, rarely white, broadly ovate, orbicular, or obovate, 3-5 × 2-3.5 cm, obtuse to subacute. Filaments white, filiform, 5-10 mm; anthers orange or golden, oblong, ca. 1 mm. Ovary elliptic-oblong, glabrous or rarely rubiginous barbellate-villous to subglabrous; styles clavate, 2-6 mm; stigmas virescent, 4-or 5(-7)-lobed, decurrent to styles. Capsule oblong-elliptic, 2.5-4.5 × 0.8-1 cm, rufous-barbellate to glabrous, slightly 4-7-valvate for ca. 1/3 its length from apex. Seeds reniform, ca. 1 mm, longitudinally striate, with alveolate foveolae. Fl. Jun-Aug.
Home