Herbs, perennial, much of plant often tinted reddish purple, 0.2–0.4 m, not glaucous, with fleshy, simple to branched taproot, without rhizomelike rootstocks. Stems clustered, erect to slightly ascending, base erect to decumbent-ascending, usually unbranched, (plants nearly scapose), solid, long-bristly with hairs often 2 mm, sometimes also stellate-hairy near base, usually becoming finely hispid distally. Leaves mostly basal, cauline 1–3; stipules lanceolate, 3–5 × 1 mm; petiole 6–9 cm, basal 2 times blade length, cauline 1/2 times blade length; blade usually orbiculate, 2–5(–6) × 2–5(–6) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, basal deeply dissected into 3–7 primary lobes, each less deeply incised and somewhat ternate, ultimate segments linear to oblong-elliptic, margins entire, distal blades repeatedly dissected with linear segments, surfaces densely hirtellous and stellate-hairy abaxially, less hairy with mostly simple hairs adaxially. Inflorescences erect or ascending, spiciform, initially dense, later open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in fruit, usually unbranched, usually 20+-flowered, proximal flowers remotely, evenly spaced, elongated in fruit, often 1-sided if ascending and not 1-sided when strictly erect, 15–30(–40) cm, elongating with fruits spaced, axis often wine-red; bracts linear, usually undivided, 2.5–4 mm, usually ± equaling or longer than pedicels. Pedicels 1–2(–3) mm; involucellar bractlets absent. Flowers bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, similar in size, plants gynodioecious; calyx usually wine-red, 4–5(–7) mm, usually not accrescent, finely stellate-puberulent, marginal hairs longer and often simple; petals dark rose-pink, sometimes pale-veined, 7–10(–12) mm; staminal column 3–5 mm, sparsely hairy; anthers white; stigmas 5–8. Schizocarps 5 mm diam.; mericarps 5–8, somewhat inflated, 2.5 mm, glabrous, smooth, back lightly grooved, not reticulate-veined or pitted, mucro 0.2–0.3 mm. Seeds 2 mm. 2n = 20.
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