Herbs, monocarpic, 20-50 cm tall in flower (to 85 cm in fruit), basally with dense tuft of old leaf remains accompanied by rufous or golden barbellate bristles. Taproot ca. 13 cm, slender, or absent and fibrous-rooted. Leaves all basal, forming a rosette, deciduous; petiole linear, ca. 20 cm, basally ampliate; blade oblanceolate or lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 4.5-16 × 0.9-3.5 cm, both surfaces shortly barbellate-villous, abaxially midvein and lateral veins distinct, base attenuate into petiole, margin entire or irregularly serrate or crenate, apex acute or obtuse. Flowers solitary on scape, up to 5 per rosette, occasionally more, semi-nutant, barbellate-setose, hairs at first appressed, later spreading to deflexed. Flower buds broadly ovoid. Sepals adaxially densely spreading, barbellate-setose. Petals 5-8, purple to deep sky blue, obovate, 3.3-4.8 × 2.4-4.4 cm. Filaments of same color as petals, filiform, 1-1.5 cm; anthers orange, golden, or yellow, oblong, ca. 2 mm. Ovary narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 1.5-2 cm, glabrous or setose; styles distinct, 4-9 mm; stigmas green, brownish, or whitish, capitate or subclavate, 4-9-lobed. Capsule narrowly oblong to oblong-elliptic, 4.2-6.5 × 1.3-2.8 cm, reflexed barbellate-setose, 4-9-valvate for ca. 1/3 its length from apex. Seeds elliptic or reniform, seed coat densely papillose. Fl. Jun-Aug.
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