Taprooted annual. Stems often branched below, to 1 m. Leaf blades palmately divided into 5 to 9 narrowly lanceolate leaflets, up to 9 cm long. Dioecious. Male flowers with pedicels to 3 mm long; sepals 2–4 mm long; Female flowers enclosed by a glandular bract. Achenes greenish, mottled with purple, 2–5 mm long (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).