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Botanical Description

Acaulescent perennial 15-25cm in height. Leaves 10-16cm long, composed of five to nine ovate to oblong leaflets, the terminal one largest, to 6cm long. Flowers 6cm or more long and usually with a greater spread, bright purple-crimson with a white and yellow throat, in short tacemes, early summer. South-western China and Tibet to western Nepal, on dry stony slopes. is162 I.m. var. grandiflora has leaves with rarely more than five leaflets and somewhat larger flowers. 'Frank Ludlow' has crimson-pink flowers in racemes to 10cm tall, and 'Nyota Sama' is slightly taller with bright pink racemes. [Pl.221]

a, I. arguta; b, I. compacta; c, I. delavayi; d, I. mairei; e, I. olgae; f, I. younghusbandii;