A small perennial herb, 5-20 (-30) cm tall, simple, with 1-2 cauline leaves and few radical leaves; rootstock tuberous, branched with small bulbous structure above with few sturdy, c. 1 cm in diam. scale leaves and thickened, 2-4 cm long tuberous branches below. Radical leaves few, long stalked, palmately 3 (-5) pinnate, minutely pubescent to almost glabrous, glaucous, 10-15 cm long; pinnae short petiolulate, almost obovate with 3 deep lobes each; each lobe with ± linear, 10-25 mm long, 2-3 mm broad, ultimate lobules or segments; leaf base sheathing. Cauline leaves 1-2, if 2 then subopposite or alternate, above the middle of the stem, subsessile, more deeply lobed or pinnatisect, smaller; all lobules minutely mucronate. Racemes simple, subumbellate, (3-) 5-8-flowered, 2-3 cm long; bracts conspicuously 3-lobed to almost entire, slightly longer to about as long as the pedicels, foliaceous. Flowers sky blue with darker tips, turning pale when dried, 12-20 mm long with spur ± half as long and slightly downcurved. Sepals minute, inconspicuous, c. 1 mm in diam., subentire. Upper petal concave, acute or minutely acuminate. Capsule linear-oblong, 15-18 mm long, 2.5-3 mm broad; pedicels 10-15 mm long, spreading with deflexed fruits; style 3-4 mm long with curved dilated stigma; seeds biseriate, 8-10, c. 1.5 mm in diam.
Fl. Per.: May-August.
Type: Kashmir, Royle (LIV).
Distribution: Throughout Himalayas.
Blue Corydalis is a small beautiful plant.
