A deciduous geophyte, 60-200(-240) mm tall when in flower. Tuber: small turnip-shaped, elongated or sometimes moniliform root, covered with flaking dark brown periderms, 20-40 x 5-15 mm. Leaves radical, erecto-patent, varying from simple to irregularly pinnately or bipinnately incised, petiolate; laminae of simple leaves lanceolate or elliptic, 20-70 x 10-15 mm, base attenuate, apex acute, margin entire; laminae of dissected leaves 40-90 mm long, pinnae 8-30 mm long, laciniate, segments 1-2 mm wide, adaxially and abaxially glabrous to sparsely hirsute with appressed hairs; petiole rigid, erect, 65-120 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm in diameter, glabrous or hirsute with appressed hairs; stipules subulate, ciliate, 20-30 x 1-2 mm, adnate to petioles for two thirds of their length. Inflorescence: scape 35-150(-250) mm long, hirsute with appressed curly hairs interspersed with dense, long glandular hairs and sparse to dense, patent eglandular hairs, branched, bearing 2-4 pseudo-umbellets with (2-)3-6(-10) flowers each; peduncles 10-75 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, hirsute with short appressed curly hairs interspersed with dense, long glandular hairs and sparse to dense, patent eglandular hairs; bracts narrowly triangular, 3-6 x 1-2 mm, abaxially densely hirsute with appressed hairs; flower buds, flowers and fruits erect. Pedicel ca. 0.5 mm long. Hypanthium 8-20 mm long, 1.0-2.5 times the length of the sepals, green, hirsute with appressed curly hairs interspersed with dense, long glandular hairs and sparse to dense, patent eglandular hairs. Sepals 5, posterior one erect, others recurved, lanceolate, acute, 6-10 x 1-4 mm, green to pale reddish brown, abaxially hirsute with appressed curly hairs interspersed with dense, long glandular hairs and sparse to dense, patent eglandular hairs. Petals 5, white, cream-coloured, pale pink or bright-pink with undulate margins, claws forming a sheath with the apices patent to recurved during anthesis; posterior two petals with conspicuous wine-red blotches in the centre, seldom with only feather-like markings, obovate or widely spathulate, 15-21 x 4-9 mm, length/width ratio 2.0-4.8, emarginate, with narrow cuneate claws 10-12 mm long; anterior three petals with faint pink veins, spathulate, 11-20 x 2-5 mm, bases attenuate, apices rounded. Stamens 10, basally connate with staminal column 1.0-2.5 mm long, white, smooth; perfect stamens 5, concealed in floral sheath, posterior filament 2-4(-5) mm long, lateral two 5.0-6.0(-6.5) mm long, anterior two 4-6(-8) mm long, ± as long as sepals, white; staminodes 2-4 mm long; anthers pale pink, 1.5-2.0 mm long, pollen pale yellow to white. Gynoecium: ovary 2-3 mm long; style 0.2-1.0 mm long, pink; stigma branches 0.5-1.0 mm long, dark pink. Fruit: bases of mericarps 5-6 mm long, without glandular hairs, tails 22-30 mm long. The peak of the flowering time is in October to December.
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