A strict, somewhat woody erect perennial, 25-50 cm tall, branched from the base with somewhat angular, striated stem, glabrous, glaucous; rootstock thick, shortly branched above and covered with withered slightly sheathing half bases. Leaves bipinnatisect, usually with 2 opposite pairs of lateral pinnae and a terminal one close to the upper lateral pair, (3-) 5-10 cm long, 1.5-3 cm broad; petiole about half as long as the leaf; pinnae 10-25 mm long, 8-15 mm broad, subsessile, ovate to suborbicular, often with 4 deeply cut lobes, one near the base and 2-3 lobes above; lobes (ultimate segments) oblong-obovate, 3-8 (-10) mm long, 1.5-3 mm broad, obscurely to slightly mucronate, acute or obtuse. Racemes often with 1-2 branches, each 10-20-flowered, congested when young, conspicuously ciliate looking due to tailed long sepals, becoming somewhat lax later on and in fruit, 3-5 (-7) cm long; bracts narrow, linear lanceolate, conspicuously acuminate, subentire to sparsely denticulate, 5-7 mm long, 1.5-2 mm broad. Flowers yellow, 15-18 (-20) mm long, narrow cylindrical with spur about 1/3 as long and often shortly saccate and curved at base, apex subglobosely hooded. Sepals very conspicuous, 8-10 (-12) mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad, linear-lanceolate with tapering tail-like apical part, ovate, subcordate, denticulate-lacerate at base or with cristate margin, subfimbriate. Upper and lower petal semi-globose near apex with apex minutely acuminate or mucronate, margin narrowly winged, somewhat fimbriate-denticulate. Ovary narrowly lanceolate, oblong, with about equally long style with dilated stigma. Capsule (immature) deflexed, narrowly linear-oblong, similar to the young fruits of Corydalis flabellate Edgew.