General:
Perennial herb from compact and tuberous to fibrous, many-branched roots, the roots often fleshy; stems erect, (15) 30-70 cm tall, smooth, bases often reddish.

Leaves:
Distribution various on stems, at time of flowering the basal leaves 0-2 and stem leaves 3-7, stalks 0.4-14 cm long, blades round, 1.5-10 cm long, 3-18 cm wide, the ultimate segments 5-21 and 3-9 (15) mm wide on basal leaves, 0.5-6 (10) mm wide on stem leaves, entire, nearly smooth.

Flowers:
Inflorescence an 11- to 16- (37-) flowered, terminal raceme, the flowers bilaterally symmetrical; bracts linear-lanceolate, green to blue, 2-7 mm from flowers, short-hairy; flower stalks 1-3 cm long, short-hairy; petals 4, the lower 2 petals white, yellowish or tan, slightly elevated and more or less covering the stamens, 8-12 mm long, 2-lobed, the clefts 2-4 mm, the hairs white, mostly on or below junction of blade and claw; sepals 5, dark blue, short-hairy, the lateral two spreading, 14-20 mm long, 5-10 mm wide, the spurs curved downward, 14-18 mm long; stamens many; pistils 3 (5).

Fruits:
Follicles, (13) 18-25 mm long, 4.5-5 times longer than wide, short-hairy seeds winged on the margins, rough.

Notes:
Toxic; known to cause livestock poisoning.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia