Soft-wooded shrub (probably annual) up to 1–5 m. tall, erect, usually not much branched, with a usually yellowish but occasionally dull-greyish-green dense short stellate-subvelutinous indumentum; stems terete or sometimes ± angular when very young, sulcate or ribbed, sometimes pilose towards the base. Leaf-lamina 2–10 (16) × 1–7 (9) cm., usually (at least those of the younger leaves) cordate-triangular, up to twice as long as broad (relatively broader and ± suborbicular-cordate in the older leaves), apex attenuate to long-acuminate or sometimes caudate (acute to shortly acuminate in the older leaves), margin irregularly or doubly serrate-dentate, sometimes shallowly crenate or serrate but rarely subentire (if so, youngest leaves distinctly serrate), upper surface rather dark green, minutely and scabridly stellate-pubescent, rarely somewhat velutinous, lower surface paler, somewhat glaucous, usually softly velutinous, rarely somewhat scabridly tomentose; petiole terete or sometimes sulcate, shorter than to longer than the lamina; stipules c. 5 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, velvety, usually very early caducous. Flowers yellow or pale yellow, solitary, mainly in upper axils of terminal and side-branches, often forming pseudo-racemes or pseudo-panicles because the upper leaves are usually small; pedicels usually under 3 cm. long (in fruit under 5 cm. long), articulated and usually more or less geniculate at or above the middle. Calyx 6–8 mm. long, cupuliform, lobed to about the middle; lobes ovate, acute to acuminate, often more or less apiculate or with a short narrow acumen, ciliate and distinctly mid-veined. Petals c. 13 mm. long, glabrous except for the ciliate narrow base. Staminal tube glabrous. Fruit c. 10 × 12–14 mm., subcylindrical-semiglobose, concave and umbilicate at the apex. Mericarps 10–20 (often 12–16), 7·5–9 × 4–5 mm., 3-seeded, rounded at the back and at the somewhat narrowed base, convex to obliquely truncate at the apex, toothed to shortly awned at the dorsal apical angle, 7·5–9 mm. long and 4–5 mm. broad measured across the large ventral tooth, the back and apical parts of lateral faces grey-velutinous. Seeds c. 2 × 1·5 mm., finely verruculose.
