Herbs perennial, 15-20 cm tall. Stems many, caespitose, erect, or decumbent, green or dark purple, pubescent. Petiole very short, pubescent; leaf blade papery; lower leaves ovate, small; upper leaves linear-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 cm × 3-5 mm, both surfaces green, abaxially slightly shiny, glabrous or crisped pubescent along margin adaxially, midvein raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, veins including reticulate veins slightly raised on both surfaces, base obtuse, margin revolute, apex obtuse, mucronate. Racemes terminal or axillary, less than 10-flowered, sometimes a solitary axillary flower, pubescent; bracts 3, caducous, purplish, linear, unequal, ca. 1/3 as long as pedicels. Flowers ca. 1 cm. Sepals 5, persistent, ciliate; outer sepals 3, nearly equal, 5-6 mm, upper one boatlike, lateral ones elliptic-lanceolate, outside pubescent; inner sepals 2, purplish red, petaloid, ovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, 8-9 × 4-5 mm, abaxially pubescent on midvein, base attenuate, apex subrounded, mucronate. Petals 3, connate in lower 1/2, purple-red; lateral petals elliptic, 6-7 mm, inside pubescent at base; carina cucullate, ca. 7 mm, base unguiculate, apex with large fimbriate appendages to 4 mm. Stamens 8; filaments lower 2/3 united and forming an open staminal sheath, adnate with petals; anthers oblong. Ovary obovoid, ca. 2 mm, ca. 1 mm in diam.; style curved, 4-5 mm; stigmas 2. Capsule suborbicular, ca. 4 mm in diam., broadly winged, apex retuse, eciliate. Seeds not seen. Fl. Jun, fr. Jul-Aug.
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