Plant 40-100 cm high, stem simple or branched with spreading retrorse hairs. Most leaves basal, petioles upto 25 cm long, blades 5-12 cm wide, broadly reniform, with stiff hairs on both surfaces, 5-7-lobed to near middle, lobes broadly obovate-cuneate, deeply incised dentate with pointed teeth, cauline leaves with shorter petioles, smaller in size. Racemes with spreading hairs. Bracts entire or lobed, 10-20 mm. Pedicels 1-7 mm, erect, hairy, bracteoles c. 10 mm, lanceolate, hairy, attached above the middle of the pedicel or near the flower. Sepals purplish-blue, violet or pale blue, hairy, upper sepal 15-20 x 8-12 mm, ovate, spur 10-12 mm, straight or curved, lateral sepals 15 x 8 mm, pointed, lower sepal 15 mm long, pointed. Limb of the upper petals 13-14 mm, glabrous, bidentate, spur 13-14 mm long, cleft to near the middle, lobes lanceolate, claw 7 mm long, cleft to near the middle, lobes lanceolate, claw 7 mm. Stamens 8 mm, glabrous. Follicles 3, 8-15 x 3.5-4 mm, hairy, style 2 mm long. Seeds with narrow wings but no scales.

Fl. Per.: August-September.

Type: Wallich 4715 a (K, BM or E, M, ace. to Munz, l.c.).

B-8 Gilgit: Babusar village, ± 13,000, M.A. Siddiqi & Y. Nasir 2805, 2808, 4106 (RAW), id., 26.8.1977, Azim & Shakeel, s.n. (RAW), id., Sultanul Abedin & M. Qaiser 9035 (KUH), B-6,7 D ir: Kalkot, Mir Alam 12 (RAW), Lowari top, R.R. Stewart & E. Nasir 1388 (RAW), B-6 Chitral: Chitral, Hassandin 333 (RAW), Bombrait, A.R. Beg 1353 (RAW), B-7 Hazara: Dunga Gali, Anwar Ali 86 (RAW), id., M. Suleman 1 (RAW), Naran, Shaukat Ali 52 (RAW), Kaghan, 29.7.1953, F. Schmid s.n. (RAW,G), Mokhspuri, M.A. Siddiqi & Y. Nasir 5968 (RAW), Murree hills, Coll. ignot. no. 450 (KUH), Dunga Gali, 19.8.1949, bank above stream, Anwar Ali, 86 (RAW), B-8 Kashmir: Keran, Oct. 1954, Jan Mohd. s.n. (RAW), Kuthnar, 13.10.55, Jan Mohd. s.n. (RAW).

Distribution: the Himalaya, 2700-4100 m.

The species Delphinium chitralicum Qureshi & Chaudhri, as described by the authors (l.c.8) is said to differ from Delphinium vestitum in h aving a straight, subulate, instead of a curved inflated spur. Less inflated and ± straight spurs are occasionally met with in Delphinium vestitum such as observed in the following gatherings: Ch. Shaukat Ali 52 from Naran (NWFP), Y. Nasir & M.A. Siddiqi 2808 and Azim & Shakeel s.n. from the Babusar top. Similar specimens have also been seen further east. i.e. R.E. Cooper 5253 from the Rotang Pass, Kulu.