Herbs perennial, 4--25 cm tall. Roots robust, multicrowned. Stems clustered, robust, ascending, simple, glandular villous, with leaf remnants at base. Basal leaves caespitose, narrowly linear or linear, 5--10 cm × 2--5 mm, both surfaces glabrous or glandular villous, base slightly clasping, apex acute; cauline leaves 2--6 pairs, homomorphic with but smaller than basal leaves. Flowers 1--3, slightly nutant, suberect in late anthesis. Pedicel 3--4 cm, glandular hairy. Calyx globose, inflated, 1.5--2.5 × 1.2--1.8 cm, umbilicate at base, open at apex; veins cohering at apex, dark brown-or dark violet glandular hairy; calyx teeth broadly triangular, margin glandular ciliate. Androgynophore 2--4 mm, violet woolly-hairy. Petals exserted 6--7 mm beyond calyx, dark violet; limbs 7--9 × 8--11 mm, deeply bifid; lobes with lobules unequal in size or dentate with weak round teeth, basal part 1-toothed on both sides; coronal scales nearly cuneate, ca. 2 mm, margin weakly dentate, apex truncate or obtuse. Stamens slightly exserted; filaments long woolly-hairy at base. Styles slightly exserted. Capsule ovoid, 1.8--2 × ca. 1.3 cm, usually 5-toothed. Seeds dark brown, flat, 1.5--2 mm in diam. including wing. Fl. Aug--Sep.
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