Perennial herb up to 75 cm tall. Branches ascending, glabrous. Leaves alternate, linear, up to 3 cm long. Flowers in 3-5 flowered cymes, pedicellate; pedicel 5-10 mm long, up to 2.5 cm in fruit, erect. Sepals oblong-ovate, acute, 5-6 mm long, 3-nerved, imbricate, persistent, margin membranous. Petals free, 13-15 mm long, contorted, obovate, blue. Stamens 5, alternating with 5 small staminodes; filaments up to 4 mm long; anthers c. 1.5 mm long, oblong. Ovary ovoid, 10-locular, 1 ovule in each locule; styles 5, connate at the base, c. 4 mm long, heterostylous; stigma sub-capitate. Capsule sub-glo¬bose, 7-8 mm broad, splitting into 10 cocci; seeds compressed, c. 5 mm long, shining dark brown.

Fl. Per. April-June.

Type locality: “Habitat in Sibiria et Cantabrigiae”.

Distribution: Central and ,Eastern Europe, Russia, Western N. America, India and W. Pakistan.

A hardy plant of the inner dry ranges from 2300-4000 m. alt. s. m., varying in habit and number of flowers.