Annual, (20-) 30-40 (-45) cm tall herb, erect, branched, stiffly hairy with spreading hairs except the appressedly hairy peduncle. Leaves 1-pinnatisect usually with distant linear-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute lobes; lower leaves stalked, 5-15 cm long, upper subsessile or sessile, becoming smaller above; lobes entire, acutely and distantly few toothed, 1-4 cm long, usually bristle-tipped. Peduncle 10-20 cm long. Flower bud 10-20 mm long, 6-10 mm broad, ovate-oblong with somewhat rounded apex, ± bristly hairy with 1-1.5(-2) mm long, somewhat broad based hairs. Flowers 3-6 cm in diam., purple or pink with or without a basal blotch. Petals 20-30 mm long, broadly obovate-orbicular. Stamens longer than the ovary; filaments purplish; anthers c. 1 mm long, broadly ellipsoid. Capsule oblong-ellipsoid or somewhat tubulose and narrowed below, more narrowed towards the base, 10-20 (-25) mm long, 6-10 mm broad, glabrous, glaucous, faintly or not ribbed, usually smooth; stigma rays 5-10, reaching almost the end of somewhat drooping, deeply dissected lobes of the disk, somewhat keeled; disk not quite as broad as the capsule; seeds very small, kidney shaped, dark brown, finely reticulated.