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Dwarf shrub, up to 0.5 m high. Stems herbaceous, pubescent. Leaves bipinnate; pubescent; blade ovate to narrowly ovate in outline, 80-100 x 40-60 mm, pinnae irregular lobed to incised, segments narrowly ovate, apices acutely 3-lobed, lower pinnae with petiolules, upper pinnae sessile; petioles 60-110 mm long. Flowers: inflorescence a branched system, peduncle with small foliar leaves, bearing several pseudo-umbels, each with 3-6 flowers, peduncle 25100 mm long, pedicels 2-4 mm long; petals 4, spathulate, posterior petals 11-20 x 3 mm, anterior petals 7-10 x 3-5 mm, white or cream-coloured to pink or light purple with red to dark markings; Aug.-May.
Much-branched, erect, aromatic subshrub. Stems herbaceous except woody base of main stem, smooth. Leaves pinnate to bipinnate, pinnae irregularly incised into linear or narrowly oblong segments, densely hirtellous with spherical-headed glandular hairs interspersed; lamina ovate to narrowly ovate in outline; petiole much longer than lamina. Pseudo-umbels 3-6-flowered. Pedicel shorter than hypanthium. Petals 4, white or cream-coloured to pink or light purple with red to dark red markings, pronouncedly unguiculate; posterior two auriculate, claws inrolled to form false tubes, twice as long as anterior petals. Fertile stamens 7.
1–2 sympodial leafy, sometimes two-branched flowering shoots arising from each lateral stem, terminating in a compound, cincinnately cymose inflorescence; peduncle 3–10 (15) cm. long, opposed to a very much reduced leaf, inserted at a wide angle, each one shorter than the one below and each bearing a terminal pseudumbel of 2–5 (7) flowers; bracts 3–5 (7), 5–6·5 × 3·5–5 mm., ovate, acute, membranous; free part of pedicel 1–4 (8) mm.
Erect perennial herb up to 50 cm. high, with a tuberous woody rootstock and 1 — several short lateral stems (each 1–5 cm. long) branching from an extremely short woody basal region; vegetative parts, peduncles and pedicels glandular and pubescent, covered with short stiff patent or ± appressed hairs and sessile glands, giving the whole plant a glaucous-canescent appearance.
Petals 4 (5), white to mauve with darker veins; 2 posterior 13–16 × 2–3·2 (4) mm., lorate, with a claw 5–7 mm. long, obtuse to deeply emarginate, slightly expanded laterally above the claw, expansion often inrolled; 2 (3) anterior 7–9 (10) × 3–4 (5) mm., oblong or sometimes ± elliptic, with a claw 3–5 mm. long, often with obliquely truncate base and apex.
Leaves densely crowded on the short lateral stems; lamina 2·5–12 (15) × 1·5–8 (12) cm., narrowly ovate to ovate, 2–3-pinnate, ultimate segments 1–10 × 0·5–2 (3) mm., linear to oblong, apex rounded to acute; petiole up to 8 (18) cm. long; stipules 4–6 × 2·5–3·5 mm., oblong; to ovate, acute, membranous.
Sepals 5–8 (9) × 1–3 mm., lorate to narrowly oblong, obtuse or sometimes acute, with conspicuous veins, studded with sessile bottle-shaped glands and a few short stiff hairs.
Stamens with fertile filaments 7, 4·5–10 mm. long, sterile filaments (staminodes) 3, 3–4 mm. long, all 10 connate at the base for 2–3·5 mm.; anthers 2–3 (3·5) × 1 (1·5) mm.
Ovary with basal part tomentose; rostrum pubescent; style 3·5–7 mm. long; stigma 1·7–2·4 mm. long.
Seeds 4·8–5·5 × 1·3–1·6 mm., pale brown, very minutely reticulate (× 50).
Fruit 3·5–4·5 cm. long; cocci 8·0 × 1·6–2·0 mm.
Spur 8–12 mm.
