Herb 10–40(50) cm. tall, tuberous or with swollen rhizomes; tuber discoid to subglobose or irregular in shape, 1–4 cm. in diam. Stems annual, mostly unbranched, 1.4 mm. thick, puberulous. Leaves spirally arranged, leaves on lower part of stem scale-like and entire to tripartite; lamina of normal leaves elliptic to oblong or subobovate to lanceolate, sometimes linear, 1.5–12 x 0.5–5.5 cm.; papyraceous to chartaceous when dry, apex obtuse to acute; base cuneate to attenuate; margin finely crenate to dentate, coarsely dentate-crenate or repand to subentire; superior surface puberulous, substrigillose to subhispidulous; inferior surface puberulous to hirtellous; lateral veins 3–12 (or in linear leaves up to 25) pairs; petiole (2)5–25 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. thick; stipules narrowly triangular to subulate, (0.5)2–5 mm. long, persistent. Inflorescences solitary or in pairs; peduncle 0.8–3(7) cm. long, 0.5–1 mm. thick; receptacle discoid to broadly turbinate, irregularly stellate to subquadrangular, triangular to subcircular or sometimes subnaviculate, 0.7–2.2 cm. in diam., or if subnaviculate, 1–1.5 x0.3–0.5cm.; flowering face ± similar to the receptacle in outline, margin very narrow to absent; appendages in two rows. Appendages of the inner (marginal) row numerous, triangular to ovate, up to 1 mm. long, forming a crenate rim, or indistinct and the rim subentire; appendages of the outer (submarginal) row 2 in subnaviculate receptacles or 3, in triangular receptacles, or usually 4–14 in narrowly triangular to band-shaped or filiform receptacles, (5)20–60(85) mm. long. Staminate flowers crowded to ± spaced; perianth lobes 2; stamens 2. Pistillate flowers numerous; perianth shortly tubular; stigma 1. Endocarp body tetrahedral, 1.2–1.5 mm. in diam., tuberculate, greyish.