General:
Biennial or short-lived perennial herb from a strong, somewhat woody taproot; stems erect, 8-30 cm tall, 1 to several, branched above, coarse-hairy and glandular-hairy.
Leaves:
Basal leaves in a rosette, 1.5-4 cm long, 2- or 3-times divided in threes into linear or oblong segments, stalked, coarse- and glandular-hairy; stem leaves alternate, similar but smaller, less divided and becoming unstalked.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a forking, bracted, somewhat flat-topped, terminal cluster of numerous short-stalked flowers; corollas white, the petals 5, egg-shaped, 1.5-3 mm long; calyces 4-5 mm long, bristly-hairy within, 5-lobed, the lobes narrowly triangular, 1.2-2.5 mm long, scattered shiny-bristly, alternating with bractlets; ovaries superior; stamens 5.
Fruits:
Achenes, egg- to pear-shaped, brownish, about 1.5 mm long.