巫溪紫堇 wu xi zi jin

Herbs, perennial, 50-70 cm tall, glabrous. Rhizome short, with dense broadly ovate imbricate petiolar bases. Stem few, suberect, slender, sulcate, with 17-28 scattered leaves in upper 2/3. Radical leaves few; petiole 5-10 cm; blade 1-2.5 × 1-2.5 cm, biternate; leaflets deeply biternatisect. Cauline leaves sessile, glaucous abaxially, dark green adaxially; lower ca. 4 × 4 cm, biternate with long-stalked leaflets (especially median one); leaflets ovate, deeply dentate; middle cauline leaves 1-2 × ca. 1 cm, pinnate, leaflets deeply and irregularly dentate; upper broadly oblanceolate, 3-9 mm, irregularly laciniate; leaves mostly (all?) with axillary easily detached bulbils ca. 4 × 3 mm. Raceme spicate, 10-20-flowered, 3-6 cm; bracts broadly oblanceolate, 2-5 mm, with lateral teeth, uppermost entire. Pedicel 3-5 mm, slender. Sepals ovate, ca. 1 × 1 mm, finely dentate. Corolla blue. Outer petals rather narrow, subacute, with narrow and short dorsal crest; upper petal 15-17 mm; spur straight, attenuate to apex, 7-8 mm; nectary ca. 3/4 as long as spur, very thin; lower petal ca. 9 mm; inner petals ca. 8 mm. Style ca. 2.5 mm; stigma didymous, slightly emarginate, marginal simple papillae 4; geminate papillae lateral and on basal lobes. Fruit not seen (rarely produced?). Fl. May-Jun.

● Shaded moist tussocks; ca. 2500 m. Chongqing (Chengkou, Wuxi).