Erect, annual, 15-50 cm tall, sparsely branched, usually stiffly hairy with appressed (distinctly appressed above) or subappressed, 1-1.5 mm long whitish hairs. Latex white. Leaves 2-3- pinnatisect, ± hispid, with linear or oblong, short ultimate lobes, with somewhat revolute margins, usually bristle-tipped; basal leaves in loose rosette, 7-15 cm long, 2-3 cm broad, stalked with 2-3 pairs of primary lateral segments (lobes) and a terminal one; upper or cauline leaves similar but gradually becoming smaller and sessile upwards. Flowers 2-5 cm in diam., on terminal or axillary, often droping, (5-) 10-15 (-25) cm long leafless, conspicuously appressedly hairy peduncles. Flower bud (6-) 8-12 (-15) mm long, 6-8 mm broad, broadly ellipsoid with entire apex, densely bristly with 1.5-2.5 mm long whitish or yellowish, sub-appressed broad based setae or bristles. Petals broadly obovate-suborbicular, 10-20 (-25) mm long, usually pink-red to crimson or scarlet with blackish violet spot at the base. Stamens about as long or slightly longer than the ovary; filaments somewhat thickened above, usually violet with somewhat bluish anthers; anthers c. 1 mm long. Capsule 10-15 mm long, 6-10 (-12) mm broad, subglobose or broadly oval globose, densely covered with yellowish, (1.5-) 2-2.5 mm long, subspreading or ± recurved bristles; stigmate disc short, much narrower than the capsule, convex with 4-8 stigma rays, not exceeding the disc; seeds very small, grey-brown or black with many, minute somewhat rectangular alveoli.