Herbs, monocarpic, to 20 cm tall in flower (to 30 cm in fruit). Taproot napiform, 1.5-4 cm × 5-7 mm. Leaves all basal, deciduous, rarely from flowering stem near base; petiole narrowly strap-shaped, 2-5 cm × 1-2 mm; blade variously shaped, oblanceolate, oblong-oblanceolate, elliptic-oblanceolate, or spatulate, small, 2-5.2 × 0.4-1.2 cm, almost fleshy, both surfaces glabrous, with slender veins not obvious, pinnatisect or bipinnatisect, sometimes several entire on same plant; terminal lobes rhombic, oblong, obovate, or linear; lateral lobes 2-4 pairs normally, obovate, oblong, spatulate, or linear, apex rounded. Scape basal or from axils, 4-20 cm tall, glabrous or very sparsely compressed-or curved fulvous hairy. Flowers solitary on scape, rarely several scapes agglomerated, 2.4-4.8 cm in diam. Flower buds globose, ca. 8 mm in diam. Petals 4(or 5), purple-blue to violet-blue, broadly obovate, oval, or suborbicular, 1.1-2.2 × 0.7-1.5 cm, apex rounded or acute. Filaments of same color as petals, filiform, ca. 4 mm; anthers cream to gray-yellow, oval, ca. 0.5 mm. Ovary elliptic or elliptic-oblong, ca. 5 mm, very sparsely fulvous hirsute; styles purplish, ca. 1-4 mm; stigmas capitate. Capsule elliptic-oblong or elliptic, 1.7-3.3(-4) cm × 3-5(-7) mm, glabrous or very sparsely hirsute, (3 or)4-valvate for a short distance from top. Fl. May-Aug.
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