Herbs, perennial, 0.3–0.6(–0.8) m, not glaucous, with woody taproot and compact rhizomes to 1 cm diam., these sometimes longer and freely rooting. Stems scattered or clustered, erect, decumbent-ascending, or reclining, freely rooting proximally, solid, proximally densely stellate-hairy, hairs long, soft, tangled, often 1.5 mm, distally hirsute to subglabrous, hairs smaller and appressed. Leaves basal and cauline; stipules sometimes purplish, linear-lanceolate, 4–5(–10) × 0.5–1.5 mm; petioles 10–20 cm on basal leaves, 3 times blade length, gradually reduced distally to 1/2 times blade length; blades: proximalmost orbiculate or semi-orbiculate to cordate, shallowly 5–7-lobed, 2–10(–15) × 2–10(–15) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, lobe margins coarsely dentate, surfaces densely stellate-hairy abaxially, hairs often simple and appressed adaxially; mid cauline deeply, palmately 5–7(–9)-lobed, lobes oblong, margins coarsely dentate; distal cauline smaller, deeply divided ± to base, lobe margins often entire. Inflorescences erect or ascending, often ± spiciform, usually open, sometimes dense, calyces usually not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, unbranched or rarely 1–3-branched, 5–20(–30)-flowered, proximalmost 1 or 2 flowers usually leafy-bracted, spaced 1+ cm, elongate, slender and virgate, often 1-sided, 20–25 cm; bracts often purplish, linear to oblanceolate, usually 2-fid, 3–6 mm, usually equaling pedicels. Pedicels (2–)3–8(–15) mm; involucellar bractlets absent. Flowers bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious; calyx 6–12 mm, densely, finely stellate-hairy, without longer hairs, lobes green or purple-tinged; petals pink or pinkish lavender to magenta, usually drying purple, usually pale-veined, pistillate 9–10 mm, bisexual 15–28(–30) mm; staminal column 6–8 mm, hairy; anthers white; stigmas 6 or 7(or 8). Schizocarps 6–7 mm diam.; mericarps 6 or 7(or 8), 3–3.5(–4) mm, roughened, back glandular-puberulent to finely stellate, prominently reticulate-veined, pitted, mucro 0.5 mm. Seeds 1.5–2 mm. 2n = 20, 40.
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