Herbs, biennial or short-lived perennial, 30-50(-100) cm tall, orange-red lactiferous. Stems erect, usually simple, glabrous. Basal leaves several in a lax rosette, glabrous; petiole 7-10 cm, glabrous; blade glaucous abaxially, green adaxially, narrowly obovate, 13-25 cm, with a large pinnatipartite terminal lobe; lateral lobes 4-7 pairs, distant, ovate-oblong, 3-5 cm, margin irregularly serrate or crenate; basal lobes smaller; apical lobes broadly ovate, 7-10 × 5-7 cm. Cauline leaves 2 or 3 from upper stem, almost opposite or whorled, similar to lower leaves but shortly petiolate. Flowers 4-7, in an umbel-like cluster, opening in succession. Bracts narrowly ovate, 1-1.5 cm, apex acuminate. Pedicel 5-15 cm. Sepals ovate, ca. 1 cm, outside pubescent, apex acute. Petals yellow, obovate-orbicular, 16-20 mm. Stamens ca. 1.2 cm; anthers oblong, ca. 1.5 mm. Ovary terete, ca. 1.2 cm, spreading pubescent; styles ca. 3 mm; stigmas 2-lobed, lobes large and almost flat. Capsule narrowly terete, 5-8 cm × ca. 5 mm, pubescent. Seeds many, oval, ca. 1 mm, tessellate, cristately carunculate. Fl. Apr-Aug, fr. Jun-Sep.
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