Herbs, monocarpic, to 40 cm tall in flower (to 60 cm in fruit). Taproot conical or radishlike, 2-10 × 1-1.5 cm, with fibrous slender roots. Leaves usually all basal, deciduous; petiole 2.5-3.2 cm; blade oblanceolate to elliptic-oblong or broadly linear, 5-20 × 0.5-2 cm, both surfaces sparsely appressed bright brown hirsute, midvein prominent abaxially, distinct adaxially, apex rounded or triangular, basally attenuate to wing, wing base slightly ampliate to membranous-sheathed, margin entire or somewhat repand. Inflorescence simple scapose, erect, scape with straw-colored, soft, deflexed bristles. Flowers 3-7, on upper part of scape, ebracteate, 3-4.8 cm in diam. Pedicel nutant when young, later spreading, 1-3 cm, extended to 9 cm at fruiting, bright brown compressed-hirsute. Flower buds obovoid or globose, 1-2 × 0.7-1.3 cm. Sepals adaxially brown soft-bristly. Petals usually 4, rarely 5, slightly blue or pale indigo, occasionally whitish with a bluish base, ovate or broadly ovate, 1.4-2.5 × 1.2-2 cm. Filaments purplish, filiform, 5-10 mm; anthers golden yellow, oblong, ca. 1 mm. Ovary elliptic-oblong, glabrous or sparsely hirsute; styles very short or absent; stigmas 2-4-lobed. Capsule erect, nearly narrowly cylindrical, 3.9-6.3 cm × 4.5-7 mm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute, 2-4-valvate to 1/3 its length from apex. Seeds falcate-elliptic, seed coat inconspicuously pitted. Fl. May-Jul.
Home