Slender to robust biennial or perennial herb, 35–150 cm., with a usually short (rarely longer, to ± 7 cm.), firm, oblong, tuber-like root.. Stem terete, slender to rather stout, wiry, sulcate-striate, sometimes purplish suffused, glabrous to densely pilose (in the lower half, less so above) with whitish multicellular hairs, divergendy branched from near the base or the middle of the stem upwards.. Basal leaves very variable in shape and size, from simple and roundish to narrowly or broadly oblong or deltoid-oblong, 2–26 × 6–17 cm., truncate or cordate at the base, to trisect with similarly shaped leaflets, or pinnate (to 4-jugate), or broadly deltoid in outline and subtripinnatisect with narrow, acute segments — most commonly ternate or pinnate with 1–2 pairs of lanceolate to oblong segments, the lower pair sometimes pinnatisect; margins finely but sharply dentate to subserrate; leaflets sessile or shortly petiolulate, the terminal more narrowly tapering and longer stalked; petiole ± 4–35 cm., glabrous to pilose; sheaths tapering or more abruptly narrowed, 1.5–5 cm., striate, glabrous to pilose; median leaves more rarely simple, usually trisect to pinnate with up to 4 pairs of leaflets, more shortly petiolate, with small to long, salient, acute teeth; upper leaves much reducing, sessile on the sheaths, ternate to pinnate with narrow, entire or usually sharply toothed segments; all leaves glabrous to densely ± white-pilose.. Umbels of inflorescences polygamous, lateral umbels usually ♂, the (2–)4–17 filiform to rather stout glabrous rays 1–3.2 cm. long; involucre absent, or of up to 8 linear, 4–10 mm., occasionally trisect bracts; partial umbels (4–)7–19-flowered; pedicels 1–6 mm., glabrous; involucel absent or of 2–3(–6) lanceolate or linear bracteoles 2–3 mm. long, glabrous; peduncles 1–5.5 cm.. Calyx absent.. Petals broad, cordate-rotund, ± 0.75 mm., white to creamy, univittate, glabrous.. Ovary glabrous.. Fruit ovoid-pyriform, somewhat laterally compressed, ± 2–2.5 × 1.75–2.25 mm., glabrous, black when ripe from the mostly 3 broad, dark vittae in each vallecula, ribs greenish; stylopodia long-conical or rarely ± flat with a very narrow, delicate, undulate margin to the disk, yellow to purplish; styles short, ± 0.75 mm., finally reflexed and subequalling the stylopodia or rarely longer, similarly coloured.
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Basal leaves on long peduncles up to 20 cm.; lamina subcoriaceous to membranous, very variable within single populations, from simply pinnate with lanceolate to elliptic lobes up to 6 × 3 cm., rounded to cuneate bases, acute apices and serrate margin, to deeply and finely divided with jagged lobes 1–2 mm. long. In plants with broad leaflets the pinnae may occasionally have large basal lobes that are nearly free from the rest of the lamina.
The superior lamina surface has scattered hairs, frequently with bulbous bases, and is usually marked with a pattern of honeycomb-like pits on the epidermis; the inferior surface has scattered hairs or a fairly dense pubescence; in extreme cases both surfaces may be subglabrous.
Inflorescence much branched, with rather small, few-rayed terminal and lateral umbels. Umbels with 3–6 filiform more or less regular rays 0·5–2·5 cm. long. Bracts and bracteoles 0. Partial umbels with 4–11 flowers on pedicels 1–3 mm.
Stem leaves sparse, similar to the basal leaves, reduced on the inflorescence to sheathing bases with minute ternate to pinnate appendages with linear lobes.
Fruit 2 × 1·5 mm., ovoid, somewhat laterally compressed, glabrous, ribs not prominent especially when immature.
Carpophore probably 2-cleft at maturity; vittae 2–3 in the intervals and ?4 in the commissural face.
Stylopodium conical; styles 1 mm. long, clubbed at the apex, divergent and then reflexed in fruit.
Robust to slender biennial or perennial herbs up to 1·5 m., with a narrow rather woody taproot.
Stems terete, rather coarsely grooved, somewhat pubescent or glabrous.
Petals very small, white, with incurved apices.
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