Plant 30-100 cm high, glabrous or pubescent especially in the upper part, branched above. Lower leaves with long petioles, blades 2.5 cm, divided into linear, mucronate segments, 1-1.5 mm wide, cauline leaves reduced in size upwards, upper leaves sessile. Bracts similar to leaves, lower ones at least as long as pedicels, upper ones 2-3 mm. Inflorescence composed of several ± lax, few to many flowered racemes. Pedicels 1-3 cm. Bracteoles 1.5-4 mm, below the middle of pedicels. Flowers blue, pink or white. Sepals 12-14 mm, ovate, tapering towards the base, apex obtuse, ± pubescent, with a green subapical spot, spur about 15 mm, straight to slightly curved. Petal 3-lobed, central lobe with 2 short lobules, c. 6 mm long, lateral lobes about the same length, spur 15-16 mm. Filaments abruptly widened at base, glabrous. Follicle 16-22 mm, cylindric, pubescent. Style c. 2 mm. Seeds c. 2.5 mm, black, oblong, trigonous with transverse row of scales.

Fl. Per.: March-April.

Type: N.W. Africa, Mauritania, Hb. Linn. 694/4 (LINN).

C-7 Rawalpindi & Islamabad: Company Bagh, 12.3.1936, J. Singh s.n. (RAW), id., 15.5.1936, B.N. Vaid s.n. (RAW), id., June 1939, N. Kaur s.n. (KUH), id., 8.3.53, M.A. Siddiqi s.n. (RAW), G-4 Karachi: Univ. Campus, Z. Durrani s.n. (KUH), Burns Garden, 13.12.1963, Naseem Ara s.n. (KUH), Darsano-Chino, Sultanul Abedin & Ghafoor Ahmed 1397 (KUH).

Distribution: Mediterranean, but found as an escape in many other places.