Caudex obconical, small, ca. 7 mm. Stem 6--30(--50) cm, simple, glabrous or spreading pubescent, with 1 or 2 leaves. Basal leaves 2 or 3, long petiolate; petiole 2.5--14.5 cm, glabrous, base shortly sheathed; leaf blade orbicular-pentagonal, 1--2 × 2--3.5 cm, 3-sect or -parted nearly to base; ultimate lobes narrowly ovate or orbicular-linear, 1--3 mm wide. Cauline leaves 1 or 2, at middle or below, shortly petiolate. Inflorescence 1--9-flowered; proximal bracts leaflike, distal ones linear. Pedicels 2--6 cm, retrorse pubescent, distally with few spreading hairs, with 2 bracteoles at middle; bracteoles linear, 3--5 mm. Sepals blue, adaxially sparsely pubescent or nearly glabrous; lateral sepals 1.3--1.6 cm; upper sepal galeate-navicular or galeate, 1.7--2 cm from base to beak. Petals glabrous or sparsely pubescent; lip ca. 3 mm, slender; spur curved, ca. 1.5 mm. Stamens glabrous or sparsely pubescent; filaments entire. Carpels 5, spreading yellow pubescent. Fr. Aug--Sep. 2n = 16*.

Scrub, grassy slopes, alpine areas; 3500--4500 m. SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW Yunnan [Bhutan, Myanmar, ?Nepal, Sikkim].