Biennial or short-lived perennial herb, (18–)45–180 cm.. Stem simple or sparingly branched with long ascending branches, stiffly erect, terete, finely striate, glabrous or sparingly hairy.. Basal and lower stem leaves with a rather narrowly to very broadly oblong-ovate, ± coriaceous lamina ± 6–15 × 4.5–13 cm., regularly broadly and rather bluntly toothed, deeply cordate at the base, blunt to subacute at the apex, lower surface shortly pilose especially on the veins, upper surface glabrous or very thinly hairy; sheath ± 2–4 cm., glabrous or sparingly pilose, the base almost surrounding the stem, long-tapering above into a 2–15 cm. petiole; median stem leaves consisting of a long, tapering, ± 3–8 cm. sheath bearing a small linear-lanceolate to broadly oblong-ovate, rarely trisect, often more sharply toothed lamina; uppermost stem leaves with a long sheath bearing a rudimentary narrowly linear lamina.. Umbels tight, firm, of ± 4–25, ± sulcate, hirtellous to pilose or rarely subglabrous rays ± 0.7–2.5 cm. long; involucre absent; flowers very numerous, ± 25–50, the outer sterile with aborting (though usually stylose) ovaries, the inner fertile; pedicels of outer flowers ± 5–9 mm., of the inner ± 1.5–4 mm., all densely hairy; involucel absent or of ± 16–30 linear to linear-oblanceolate ± 5–9 mm. long bracteoles, subglabrous to densely pilose, often darker upwards; peduncles ± 1.5–9 cm., short-or long-pilose.. Petals pure white (or reddish in the outer flowers), oblong-obovate, ± 1 mm., pilose at least along the darker dorsal vitta, with usually branched oil canals.. Ovary densely white-pilose.. Fruit narrowly oblong, ± 4–5 mm., laterally compressed, the surface obscured by dense, patent or forwardly-directed white hairs; stylopodia conical; styles 0.6–1.5 mm., divergent, glabrous or pilose in the lower half, rarely almost to the stigma.
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