Synonym: Aconitum gymnandrum.
Chinese: Lùruǐ wūtóu.
Region: China, Gansu, Qinghai, W Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan.
Habitat: grassy slopes, grasslands, by streams; 500 to 3800 m elevation.
BotanyHerbs; annual; up to 100 cm tall.
Root: subterete; 5 to 14 cm, 1.5 to4.5 mm in diameter.
Stem: usually branched; sparsely or densely pubescent; basally sometimes becoming glabrous; with leaves equally arranged along stem.
Leaves: basal 1 to 6; proximal cauline usually withered at anthesis, long petiolate; petiole 4 to 7 cm; distal leaves shortly petiolate; petiole 1 to 5 cm, base narrowly sheathed; broadly ovate or triangular-ovate; 3 to 7 by ± 4 cm; abaxially sparsely villous or glabrescent at veins; adaxially sparsely appressed pubescent; 3 sect; segments 2 to 3-pinnately parted; ultimate lobes narrowly ovate to narrowly lanceolate.
Inflorescence: 6 to 16-flowered; rachis and pedicels pubescent; basal bracts leaflike, other proximal ones 3 fid, those above middle lanceolate to linear.
Flowers: pedicels 1 to 9 cm, with 2 bracteoles at distal part or at apex, leaflike to linear, 0.5--15 cm; flowering from Jue to August.
Sepals: blue-purple, rarely white; abaxially sparsely pubescent; long clawed; lower sepals ± 1 cm; lateral sepals 1 to 2 cm; upper sepal navicular, ca. 1.8 cm, clawed.
Petals: pubescent; spur headlike, short, sparsely pubescent.
Stamens: sparsely pubescent; filaments entire.
Carpels: 6 to 13, pubescent.
Fruit: follicles; ± 1 cm.
Seeds: obovate-globose; ± 1.5 mm.
Chromosome number: 2n = 16*.