Herbs, monocarpic, 8-35 cm tall in flower, extremely variable. Taproot radishlike, 3-8 cm × 5-10 mm. Stems erect, with fulvous, compressed or deflexed, soft bristles, or ± glabrous. Leaves mostly or all basal; petiole 2-7 cm; blade paler abaxially, green or gray-green adaxially, oblanceolate, spatulate, obovate, or elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 1-15 × 0.5-1.7 cm, both surfaces glabrous or with fulvous, deflexed or curved, soft bristles, midvein distinct, lateral veins slender, base cuneate, decurrent to wings, margin usually entire, often somewhat undulate, apex rounded or acute. Inflorescence racemose, with 3-13 ebracteate flowers, each 2.9-5 cm in diam., scape variable in thickness, sometimes, in addition, simple on basal scapes, setose to subglabrous. Pedicel 0.5-3 cm, sparsely to densely setose. Flower buds suborbicular or oblong, 5-10 mm in diam. Sepals adaxially sparsely rubiginous setose. Petals 4-8, satiny purple or blue, sometimes pale purple-blue or ruddy purple, obovate, suborbicular, or oval, 1-3 × 0.7-3 cm, apex rounded or acute, sometimes serrulate. Filaments of same color as petals, filiform, 5-10 mm; anthers yellow to black-brown, gray, or grayish white, oblong, 1-1.5 mm. Ovary oblong, elliptic-oblong, or elliptic, with sparse fulvous compressed bristly hairs, rarely glabrous; styles 1-2 mm; stigmas yellowish, capitate, (2 or)3-6-lobed. Capsule green, brown when mature, with styles and fruit ribs deep purple, narrowly obovoid, oblong-elliptic, narrowly oblong, or rarely subterete, 1.5-2.2 cm × 5-8 mm, glabrous or sparsely spreading fulvous setose, 3-6-valvate for ca. 1/3 its length from apex. Seeds reniform or falcate-elliptic. Fl. Jun-Aug.
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