Perennial, glabrous, foetid herb with suberect, grooved and ribbed, greenish-pale, 50-80 (-90) cm tall stems from woody, ± oblique prostrate rootstock. Basal and lower stem leaves long petioled, variable in size and lobing, usually 4-10 cm long, 2-3-pinnatipartite into broadly linear or linear-lanceolate ultimate segments; middle and upper stem leaves gradually smaller, shortly petiolate to sessile, basally auriculate, 3-5 cm long, unipinnatipartite into linear-lanceolate, 1.5-2 cm x 1.5-2 mm, acute segments; upper most in the floral region simple, linear, acute. Capitula numerous, heterogamous, pedunculate, subglobose, 2.5-3.0 x 1.5-2.0 mm, nodding in a narrow, 15-20 x 5-6 cm panicle with 6-10 cm long, ± erect primary branches and 1-1.5 cm long upwardly directed secondary branches. Involucre 3-seriate, phyllaries glabrous, outer oval, c. 2.5 x 1.75 mm, narrowly hyaline membranous margined; inner almost similar to outer except for wide scarious margins. Receptacle convex, glabrous. Florets 12-16; marginal florets 4-5, fertile, with narrow tubular, c. 0.75 mm long, 2-dentate corolla; disc-florets 8-12, functionally male, with c. 1.75 mm long, tubular, glandulose, 5-toothed corolla. Cypselas oval, c. 1 mm long, finely striate, dark brown.