Herbs, perennial, 0.4–1 m, often glaucous, with thick, woody taproot and lateral rhizomes to 500 mm. Stems clustered, erect, base decumbent-ascending, solid or ± hollow in age, usually ± glaucous distally, glabrous or sparsely hirtellous, hairs short, appressed, simple. Leaves basal and cauline; stipules sometimes deciduous, lanceolate to ovate, (4–)7–9(–14) × (1.2–)3–4 mm; petioles of proximal leaves 18–37 cm, 3–5 times as long as blades, distal 5–20 cm, to 1/2–1 times as long as blades; blades: basal reniform to rounded, unlobed and marginally deeply crenate or very shallowly palmately 5–7-lobed, 6–20 × 6–20 cm, base cordate, apex rounded; cauline deeply 5–9-lobed, lobes linear-elliptic to oblong-elliptic, margins usually entire, sometimes toothed, surfaces finely, sparsely hairy, hairs mostly simple. Inflorescences erect, spiciform, proximally open, distally dense, otherwise calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, branched, 20+-flowered, proximalmost flowers spaced usually to 1 cm apart, not leafy-bracted, elongate, not 1-sided, 10–20 cm; bracts single, purple, mm, hairy; anthers white; stigmas (6 or)7 or 8. Schizocarps 4–5 mm diam.; mericarps (6 or)7 or 8, 2 mm, roughened, sparsely glandular-puberulent apically, sides finely reticulate to faintly rugose, sometimes also on back, to nearly smooth, not pitted, mucro 0.5–1 mm. Seeds 1.5 mm. 2n = 20.
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