Annual, (15-) 30-60 cm tall, nearly glabrous to hispid or bristly, simple or sparsely branched from below. Latex usually milky. Leaves pinnatifid (very rarely reaching to pinnatisect condition), (5-) 7-15 cm long, 2-3 cm broad; segments lobed, usually acute. Flower bud ovoid, (5-) 7-10 mm long, often nodding. Flowers (2-) 3-5 (-7) cm in diam., terminal, on usually 10-20 cm long, appressedly bristly peduncles. Sepals 2, caducous, glabrous or bristly, ovoid. Petals 20-40 mm long, suborbicular-obovate, usually reddish, pinkish or pale scarlet with basal dark blotch or spots, caducous. Stamens as long as the ovary; anthers broad elliptic, c. 1 mm long. Capsule oblong, narrowed towards the base, (10-) 15-20 (-25) mm long, 4-8 mm broad, glabrous, usually distinctly ribbed; stigmatic rays (4-) 7-9 (-12), falling a little short of the shallowly lobed margin of the disk; seeds very small, kidney-shaped, minutely netted, usually bluish-black or brownish.