Decumbent or scrambling perennial; stems to 80 cm long, with sparse to c. dense, short to long, recurved or patent hairs; taproot napiform to ellipsoid. Leaves c. orbicular to reniform or broadly cordate, to 4 cm long, palmatisect with 5–7, trifid primary lobes, occasionally further dissected, ultimate lobes truncate to obtuse, upper surface glabrescent or with long, curved to appressed hairs, lower surface with sparse, curved, spreading hairs; stipules narrow-ovate to lanceolate, acuminate sometimes shallowly laciniate. Flowers solitary or paired; peduncles 0.7–3.6 cm long, pedicels 0.7–1.7 cm long; sepals ovate to elliptic, c. 3.5 mm long, (sub)acute, pubescent with minute, glandular and eglandular hairs and scattered, long, curved to spreading hairs, margins occasionally pale to translucent, mucro up to 0.5 mm long; petals 3.5–4 mm long, truncate to obtuse, pale pink to c. white; anthers pale to mid yellow. Fruits 13–14 mm long; mericarps often minutely spotted, evenly pubescent, suture margins long-ciliate; seed deeply rugose with large isodiametric alveolae, frequently with membranous deposits. Flowers Aug.–Jan.
LoM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, VAlp. Also ?WA, SA, ?Qld, NSW, ACT, Tas. Widespread and common in generally dry sites in woodland and open-forests.
This variable species includes a number of more or less distinct entities. It is characterized by the lobes of the leaves having truncate to obtuse tips, pale pink to nearly white petals with translucent veins and more or less truncate to obtuse apices, absence of blue-purple dehiscence lines on anthers, small napiform to ellipsoid roots, and evenly-pubescent mericarps with long-ciliate suture margins. A large, nearly white-flowered form with spreading hairs and grey-green mericarps has been recorded from areas north of the Melbourne metropolitan area, and may be more closely allied to G. solanderi var. solanderi.
