Herbs, monocarpic, 5-50 cm tall. Taproot usually narrowly ovoid, ca. 1 cm, sometimes long and narrow. Stems tenuous, thin, curved or compressed yellow-brown pubescent, sometimes glabrous. Basal leaves few, soon withering; petiole 1.5-4 cm; blade pale green abaxially, green adaxially, ovate, oblong-ovate, spatulate, or oblanceolate, 1.5-4 × 0.5-2 cm, both surfaces sparsely yellow-brown pilose or glabrous, base cuneate or slightly cordate, margin entire, lobed, pinnatilobate or pinnatipartite, apex rounded or acute. Cauline leaves similar to basal but lower ones with petiole ca. 6 cm, upper ones shortly petiolate. Flowers opening in succession, 1-5 in axils of upper cauline leaves, usually only terminal flowers open, half nutant, 1.5-2.5 cm in diam. Sepals glabrous. Petals 4, rarely 5 or 6, pale blue or rarely pink, pale rose, or white, ovate, broadly ovate, or sometimes broadly lanceolate, 1.2-1.9 × 0.4-1.5 cm, apex rounded or acute. Stamens 24-36; filaments of same color as petals, filiform, 5-8 mm; anthers golden, oblong to suborbicular, ca. 1 mm. Ovary oblong or elliptic-oblong to narrowly oblong, ca. 5 × 2 mm, glabrous; styles very short; stigmas green. Capsule narrowly oblong or nearly cylindrical, ca. 4 cm, 3-or 4-valvate for ca. 1/3 its length from apex. Seeds falcate-elliptic, seed coat rugose. Fl. and fr. May-Sep.
Home