Herbs perennial, with a long stock formed by overlapping petioles and basal bud scales. Leaves forming a rosette; petiole broadly winged, portion exserted from basal bud scales very short to 1/2 as long as leaf blade at fruiting; leaf blade extremely variable, oblong-ovate to lanceolate, 5--20(--25) X 1--5 cm, abaxially densely bright yellow farinose, often fugacious on older leaves, base attenuate, margin denticulate to nearly entire, apex acute to obtuse. Scapes (15--)20--50(--70) cm, yellow farinose toward apex; umbels 1--4, superimposed, 3-to many flowered; bracts lanceolate to subulate, 0.5--1.5 cm. Pedicel 1--2.5 cm, elongating to 6 cm in fruit, densely bright yellow farinose. Flowers heterostylous. Calyx tubular-campanulate, 8--10(--12) mm, parted slightly below middle; lobes oblong-lanceolate, sparsely farinose outside, densely so inside. Corolla purplish violet, rarely white; tube 1.1--1.3 cm; limb 2--3 cm wide; lobes broadly elliptic to subobovate, margin entire. Pin flowers: stamens 4--5 mm above base of corolla tube; style ca. as long as tube. Thrum flowers: stamens toward apex of corolla tube; style ca. 3 mm. Capsule cylindric, ca. 2 X as long as calyx. Fl. May-Jul. 2n = 22@, 44@, 22 + 2--7f@, 44 + 6--12f@.
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