兔唇紫堇 tu chun zi jin

Herbs, perennial, 11-15 cm tall, glabrous. Rhizome 1-3 cm (possibly much longer), narrow, with many slightly fleshy roots; fleshy scales mainly apical, forming a loose bulb at apical leaf rosette. Stems 1-3, 11-15 cm, simple or rarely with a late very small branch, with (0 or)1(or 2) leaves in upper 1/2. Radical leaves several; petiole 2-5 cm; blade orbicular to triangular, 1.5-2.5 × 2-3 cm, ternate to biternate with deeply divided leaflets sometimes again shallowly divided apically; ultimate lobes obovate, 1.5-5 mm wide. Cauline leaf: petiole short, 5-10 mm; blade orbicular, 1-2 × 1-2 cm, ternately divided with leaflets deeply cut into 2 or 3 obovate lobes that may again be shallowly divided; if second cauline leaf present, similar to lowermost bract. Raceme corymbose, 6- or 7-flowered; bracts broadly obovate, 6-11 mm; lowermost larger and with small lateral lobes. Pedicels 12-22 mm, or upper ones shorter. Sepals reniform, ca. 1 mm, finely dentate. Corolla blue, possibly with a purplish hue; outer petals with short narrow slightly dentate crest not reaching apex; upper petal ca. 21 mm, deeply emarginate at apex, with rounded forward lobes; spur broad and short, 10-11 × ca. 4 mm, not tapering toward obtuse apex; nectary 4-5 mm; lower petal 16-18 mm, with distinct claw and wide emarginate limb 8-10 mm wide; inner petals ca. 12 mm. Stigma square; marginal simple papillae: median 2 distinct, lateral diffuse; geminate papillae lateral (submarginal) and on well-developed basal lobes. Ovary linear, with 40-42 ovules; style 3.5-4 mm. Fruit unknown. Fl. Jun.

● "Under forest" (doubtful); ca. 3200 m. Sichuan (Baoxing).