Erect perennial herb, stems to c. 1 m long. Leaves 2–4 cm long, 3–5 cm wide, upper surface ± glabrous, lower surface with scattered to moderately dense simple hairs (rarely stellate); lower leaves reniform, palmately 3–5-lobed, margins irregularly toothed; upper leaves deeply divided with 5–7, 2-pinnatifid narrow lobes. Lower flowers solitary in axils, upper flowers racemose; epicalyx-lobes linear or narrowly ovate, 3.5–5 mm long, attached at base of calyx; calyx exceeding epicalyx, lobes acutely ovate to acuminate, slightly enlarging in fruit, with lobes incurved; petals (15–)20–30 mm long, usually pink, sometimes white. Fruit c. 8 mm diam., mericarps 15–20, not reticulate, adjacent edges smooth, densely hispid.
VRiv, GipP, CVU, HSF, HNF, Strz. Also naturalised Tas. Native to Europe, occasionally grown as an ornamental, naturalised in Victoria, where it is sometimes a weed of cropped land in West Gippsland and the Eastern Highlands.
The deeply palmatisect leaves make it conspicuous amongst other members of the genus in Australia.
