Herbs, 30-60 cm tall, yellow lactiferous. Roots and stems black-brown. Stems erect or ascending, usually simple, leafy in lower part, crisped-pubescent. Basal leaves several; petiole 10-15 cm, hazel crisped-pubescent; blade white-glaucous abaxially, green adaxially, narrowly obovate or oblanceolate, 10-25 × 4-10 cm, abaxially crisped-pubescent on veins (especially midvein), adaxially glabrous, pinnatipartite or pinnatisect; lobes 4-8 pairs, distant, ovate-lanceolate or oblong, 2-5 × 1-2 cm, lower lobes smaller, margin irregularly deeply crenate, apically obtuse. Cauline leaves 4-7, alternate, shortly petiolate, apical 2 leaves almost opposite, nearly sessile, others similar to basal leaves. Flowers several, forming terminal pseudo-corymbs. Pedicel 5-7 cm. Bracts lanceolate, 2-4 mm. Flower buds obovoid or suborbicular, 4-5 mm in diam. Sepals ovate, 5-7 mm, outside sparsely villous, apex acuminate. Petals yellow, obovate, 1-2 × 1-1.5 cm. Filaments 5-6 mm; anthers linear, ca. 1.5 mm. Ovary terete, densely white villous; styles 4-5 mm; stigmas 2-lobed, lobes small. Capsule oblong, 2.5-3.5 cm × 5-6 mm, densely crisped-pubescent. Seeds many, black-brown, ovoid or suborbicular, ca. 1 mm, tessellate, tuberculate, one lateral cristately carunculate. Fl. Apr-May, fr. May-Jul.
Home