Herbs, perennial, (0.3–)0.4–1.5 m, glaucous or not, with short, thick, rather woody taproot and branching caudex, without rhizomes or rhizomelike rootstocks (subsp. valida sometimes with rhizomes). Stems single or clustered, erect, rarely rooting at base, unbranched or distally branched, proximally usually solid, sometimes hollow in age, base glabrous, coarsely stellate-hairy to long-bristly, or glabrate, hairs usually becoming appressed, simple or stellate. Leaves basal and cauline, basal sometimes deciduous, cauline 3+; stipules usually deciduous, linear to lanceolate, 4–6(–14) × 0.5–1(–2) mm; petioles of basal and proximal leaves (5–)7–10(–35) cm, 3–5 times as long as blades, reduced distally, distalmost leaves sometimes subsessile; blade cordate or reniform-orbiculate, 3–10(–15) × 3–10(–15) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, lobe apex often acute, surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs minute, simple, forked, or stellate, proximal usually shallowly palmately 5–7(–9)-lobed, sometimes unlobed with margins crenate; midstem more deeply (3–)5–9-lobed, lobes again palmately or pinnately lobed, distalmost unlobed or 3(–5)-lobed, segments unlobed or deeply lobed, narrow. Inflorescences erect, usually spiciform, sometimes subcapitate, congested in bud, dense, calyces sometimes conspicuously overlapping in flower and sometimes in fruit, to open and elongate, few-branched or unbranched, 10–20+-flowered, flowers opening and closing sequentially from base to apex, sometimes 3–10 open on same day, not leafy-bracted, not 1-sided, (1.5–)10–30 cm, elongating in flower or fruit; bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, undivided to 2-fid, proximal sometimes divided to base, 4–6(–7) mm, sometimes exceeding flower buds, usually equaling or longer than pedicels, shorter than calyx. Pedicels 1–3(–10) mm; involucellar bractlets absent. Flowers bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious; calyx usually green, 3.5–10 mm, usually lightly reticulate-veined, glabrous or densely, uniformly stellate-puberulent or bristly, surface often obscured; petals usually overlapping, pink or pink-lavender to dark rose-pink or magenta, not notably pale-veined, pistillate 5–10 mm, bisexual 8–15(–20) mm; staminal column 4–6(–9) mm, hairy; anthers white to pinkish; stigmas 6–9. Schizocarps 4–7 mm diam.; mericarps 6–9, 2–3 mm, sparsely glandular-puberulent, sometimes glabrous, not stellate-hairy, back and margins rounded, smooth or slightly reticulate-veined or pitted, infrequently prominently roughened at least on margins and/or back, mucro 0.1–0.7 mm. Seeds 1.5–2.5 mm. 2n = 20, 40, 60.
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