Plant 20-50 cm high, stem with a few branches, sparsely strigulose, densely so in the inflorescence. Petioles of lower leaves 2-cm long, blade 2-4 cm wide, subglabrous to strigulose, ternate with cuneate segments, the lateral two deeply divided with 5 subequal, pinnately lobulate or toothed lobes, ultimate lobes 1-3 mm wide, mucronate. Cauline leaves similar but reduced. Racemes strigulose, up to 10-flowered. Bracts 2-3 mm long, linear. Pedicels 5-25 mm long, ascending. Bracteoles lanceolate. Sepals pale blue, upper sepal 6-9 x 3 mm, strigulose, spur 5-7 mm, cylindric, obtuse, lateral sepal 7.5-8 it 2.5 mm, lower sepal 8 x 3 mm, oblong-lanceolate. Upper petals 7.5 mm long, pale oblique, limb bearded, terminal lobes 1 mm, spur 5 mm long, lower petals 8 mm long, spur as long as the bearded divided (for 2.5 mm blade. Stamens) 4.5-5.5 mm long, filaments ciliate or not widened towards the base, upper part glabrous. Follicles 3, pubescent near apex.

Fl. Per.: April.

Leototype: Kohat and Waziristan, Drummond (CAL).

Attock: C-6,7 Wah, R.R. Stewart 2577 (RAW), Hasanabdal, rocky places, R.R. Stewart 10936 (RAW), Kohat: Hangu, A. Rahman 25885 (RAW), C-7 Rawalpindi & Islamabad: Margalla, B.R Khosla s.n. (KUH), id., 2000', R.R. Stewart 14746A (KUH).

Distribution: Afghanistan, Pakistan.

Found in drier areas from 350-1700 m. Occasionally the species exhibits eciliate bracts such as in R.R. Stewart 10936 from Hasanabdal. Such specimens have been designated variously as Delphinium saniculifolium var. gilgitense Bruehl or Delphinium kohatense var. gilgitense (Bruehl) Qureshi & Chaudhri. These appear to be mere variants of Delphinium kohatense.