Decumbent to ascending perennial; stems to 30 cm long, older stems with retrorse and recurved hairs, at least the petioles and/or younger stems including some patent hairs of varying lengths; taproot napiform. Leaves reniform to c. pentagonal, 1.5–3.5 cm long, strongly palmatisect with 3–5(–7), usually narrow, deeply bisected or trisected (sometimes toothed), primary lobes; ultimate lobes obtuse to acute; upper surface softly hirsute; stipules triangular to ovate, acuminate, margin ciliate. Flowers solitary or paired; peduncles 0.6–2.2 cm long; pedicels 0.7–1.6 cm long. Sepals ovate to narrow-elliptic, 4.5–5.5 mm long, subacute, pubescent with short curved and scattered spreading hairs, mucro c. 0.5 mm long, margin c. translucent, ciliate; petals spathulate to narrow-obovate, 5–7 mm long, obtuse to truncate, pale pink; anthers pale lemon, usually with fine blue-grey dehiscence lines (occasionally apparently absent). Fruits 15–17 mm long; mericarps with sparse, short appressed hairs and scattered long hairs toward awn, suture margins irregularly ciliate; seed slightly rugose with small isodiametric alveolae. Flowers Sep.–Jan.
Wim, VVP, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, HSF. Also WA, SA, ?ACT. In Victoria, currently known only from Stawell, Yan Yean, Eltham, and Bonegilla areas. Incomplete specimens from near Goroke and Hamilton areas may be of this species. Found in open, grassy areas of dry woodland to forest.
Superficially similar to G. retrorsum, but distinguished from that species by the less dissected, hairier leaves, pale pink petals with obtuse apices, anthers with purple dehiscence lines, and the patent hairs more prominent on the petioles and younger stems, with older stems typically covered with recurved or retrorsely appressed hairs.
