峭壁紫堇 qiao bi zi jin

Herbs, perennial, glabrous. Rootstock cylindric, elongate, ca. 1 cm in diam., simple or branched, apically with fibrous remains of leaf- and stem-bases. Stems 1-3, 10-26 cm, simple, lower 1/2 without leaves, upper 1/2 with 1-3 small leaves. Radical leaves few; petiole 5-7 cm; blade obovate-oblong, 5-9 × 3-4 cm, simply pinnate, with (3 or)4(or 5) pairs of leaflets. Leaflets sessile to shortly (1-3 mm) stalked, ovate to orbicular, 1.5-2.2 × 1-2.4 cm, shallowly to deeply cleft into 2-5 broad obtuse lobes; lowermost leaflets smaller and often entire. Cauline leaves subsessile with 1(or 2) pairs of usually entire leaflets; terminal leaflet shallowly trifid. Racemes subsecund, 4-10-flowered, dense, much elongating in fruit. Pedicel 5-8 mm, elongating to 10-17 mm in fruit. Bracts shortly stalked; lowermost broadly ovate, 10-20 × 10-20 mm, entire or trifid; upper 5-10 × 2-5 mm, entire. Flowers red-purple. Sepals broadly ovate-triangular, 3-4 × 2.5-3 mm, finely dentate. Outer petals broad, with 6-8 × 1-2 mm, entire to slightly undulate crest extending shortly beyond apex; spur straight, 7-8 × ca. 4 mm, obtuse; nectary ca. 2/3 as long as spur; inner petals 12-13 mm, claw slightly shorter than limb. Stigma rounded, with 8 papillae. Capsule (immature) oblong, ca. 5-seeded; style 3-4 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.

● Cliffs, limestone crevices; 3400-3500 m. S Gansu (Têwo).