鄂西黄堇 e xi huang jin

Herbs, biennial, 0.4-1 m tall. Taproot swollen like a radish. Stems suberect, narrowly winged, base 3-7 mm in diam., leafy and branched, accessory branches common in upper part. Basal leaves early withering; petioles of middle leaves 5-10 cm; upper ones shorter; blade broadly ovate, to 15 × 12 cm, (bi-)tripinnate; primary pinnae petiolulate; ultimate leaflets entire to shallowly 2-4-divided, ovate to obovate, or narrowly obovate, abaxially veins with dense thin papillae, apex obtuse, obscurely mucronulate. Racemes several, spikelike, 6-12 cm, 10-20-flowered; bracts rounded, 5-8 × 5-8 mm, entire, reflexed in fruit. Pedicel 2-5 mm, recurved in fruit. Sepals cordate, ca. 3 × 3-4 mm, margin entire. Petals yellow; outer petals navicular-ovate, apex acuminate, crest 1-1.5 mm tall, extended beyond apex, spur often strongly upcurved, cylindric, 9-10 mm; nectary very slender, extended through ca. 3/4 of spur; inner petals 8-9 mm; lower petal conspicuously saccate, but with a short narrow claw at very base; stigma square, apex with 4 papillae, lateral geminate papillae obvious, basal geminate papillae small. Capsule obcordate, 5-8 × 4-6 mm, apex rounded or retuse, 4-9-seeded; style ca. 3 mm. Seeds in 2 rows, black, orbicular, ca. 1.75 mm, smooth, elaiosome small. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

● Forest margins along cliffs, tussocks along channels; 1300-2300 m. W Hubei (Shennongjia).