Slender but rigid and wiry biennial or perennial herb, 35–60 cm., with a short, firm, oblong, tuber-like root.. Stem subterete, striate, glabrous or very sparingly hairy, with a few ascending branches from about the middle upwards.. Basal leaves simple, ovate-oblong, lamina 6–7.5 × 3–5 cm., bluntly serrate with the teeth more prominent towards the base, glabrous, subacute at the apex, deeply cordate at the base; petiole slender, ± 7 cm. long including the 1.5–2 cm. shortly tapering sheath; lower stem leaf similar but smaller; upper stem leaves pinnate with narrow segments, the uppermost reduced and bract-like.. Umbels of 3–5 rays, these with a rather sparse indumentum of upwardly directed substrigose hairs, later glabrescent, 1.5–2.5 cm.; involucre absent; partial umbels 4–8-flowered; pedicels 2–4 mm., indumentum similar to that of the rays; involucel absent; peduncles 3–6 cm.. Calyx absent.. Petals white, rather narrowly oblong, ± 1 mm., univittate, glabrous.. Ovary glabrous.. Fruit rather narrowly ovate, 4–4.5 mm. long, laterally compressed, glabrous, black when mature, valleculae trivittate; stylopodia shortly conical; styles short, reflexed, subequalling the stylopodia.
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