Annual,  erect,  branched herb, 20 – 80 cm tall. Stem glabrous – sparsely pubescent, angular. Leaves usually opposite, on 1 – 3 (– 5) cm long petiole, lamina, broadly ovate to lanceolate, 4–6 (–8) cm long, 1–4 cm wide, usually trifoliate – pinnate, middle leaflets ca 6.5 cm long , ca 2.5 cm wide, hairy, narrowly ovate– lanceolate, apex acute or acuminate, margins coarsely toothed or serrate, with hispid hairs. Capitula solitary  on  long peduncles, usually  radiate, or discoid.  Involucre   campanulate. Phyllaries (–7) 8–9 (–13), mostly 2–seriate, persistent, not exceeding florets, outer phyllaries narrowly  spathulate,  oblanceolate, hairy, 3–4 mm long, inner ones ovate to lanceolate, obtuse to acute, pilose at the apex, margins membranous, 4–5 mm long. Receptacle flat, bristly. Ray florets absent, when present (–3) 6–7, whitish to pinkish, tubular, fertile, 3–toothed, acute, ca 7 mm long. Disc florets bisexual, fertile, white–yellowish ca 2 mm long, limb 5–lobed. Cypselas dimorphic, blackish, usually long sparsely hairy, hairs at the margin stiff, ray cypselas 6–8 mm long, 4–angled, sparsely hairy throughout; of disc florets 10–16 mm long glabrous or hairy in the upper part only. Pappus of 2–3, retrorsely barbed awns.