A spreading soft-stemmed shrub, probably biennial, with long somewhat decumbent nearly prostrate or ascending branches, forming dense semi-globose bushes up to 1·25 m. tall and 2 m. in diam.; stems terete or somewhat angular, usually somewhat harshly stellate-tomentose, ultimately with a thin greyish or brownish bark. Leaf-lamina 3–8 × 3–10 cm., suborbicular- or reniform-cordate, sometimes angular to shallowly 5–7 — 9-palmatilobed, apex rounded rarely acute, margin irregularly coarsely crenate to lobulate or serrate or subentire, base cordate to truncate, both surfaces stellate-hairy but the upper one glabrescent, the lower one paler less harshly pubescent and often subtomentose; petiole up to 11 cm. long, stellate-pubescent to tomentose; stipules c. 10 mm. long, filiform. Flowers up to 8 cm. in diam., pale- or sulphur-yellow with a port-wine to maroon centre, solitary, axillary, mainly in the upper leaf-axils, often forming pseudo-racemes; pedicels usually short, under 4 cm. long, stellate-pubescent to ± densely tomentose. Epicalyx of 12–16 bracts; bracts narrowly linear, tomentose-pubescent, shorter than the calyx. Calyx 10–16 mm. long, campanulate, stellate-tomentose, lobed to beyond the middle; lobes ovate-acute or ovate-triangular, 3-nerved with raised veins which are occasionally darker and appear as grey-green stripes. Petals 25–45 mm. long, distinctly veined, fimbriate-ciliate at the narrow base. Staminal tube usually glabrous. Mericarps 8–10 mm. long, dorsally foveolate-rugose and shortly retrorsely aculeate-hispid, with 3 short protuberances or short blunt spines at the apex, the lateral edges narrowly winged and the lateral faces flat, smooth and glabrous. Seeds c. 6 mm. long, glabrous except for the area of the hilum.
