Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes woody at base, often hairy, sometimes glandular-hairy, some thorny. Stipules absent or sometimes with short spine-like (thorn). Leaves alternate, long-petiolate, palmately compound; leaflets 3-9, sessile. Flowers bisexual; white, yellow, pink or purple in terminal, bracteate racemes, actinomorphic or zygomorphic by displacement of petals. Sepals generally 4, free or connate at base, equal, valvate, often glandular pubescent. Petals usually 4, mostly clawed at base, hypogynous. Androgynophore present or not. Stamens 4 to numerous, usually all fertile, borne on a short or long androgynophore; filaments equal or subequal, declinate. Ovary 1-celled, sessile or mostly on a short gynophore which elongates in fruit; ovules many, borne on 2 parietal placentas; style short or 0, stigma knob-shaped or flattish or discoid or capitate, subsessile. Fruit a capsule, capsule siliquliform, linear, terete, striate, 2-valved, beaked, dehiscing from the base with a persistent replum. Seeds numerous, glabrous or pubescent, orbicular to reniform, scalariform with conspicuous, ± sharp cross-ribs connected by numerous, much lower longitudinal ribs or verrucose. Erect, annual bushy herb, up to 70 cm high. Stem cylindric. Leaves palmately compound; leaflets 3-5, subsessile, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acute, entire, the middle one largest up to 5.7 × 2.2 cm, the lateral two medium up to 4.5 × 1.9 cm and the outermost two shortest up to 3 × 1.8 cm. Petiole 6 cm long, subtended by two stipular spines. Racemes terminal, 30 cm long. Bracts ovate, acute to acuminate, base rounded. Pedicel 1-1.2 cm long, pubescent. Sepals 4, 3-4.5 mm long, linear-lanceolate, valvate. Petals 4, 6.5 × 2.5 mm, free, white. Stamens 6, the 4 anterior c. 8.5 mm long while the 2 posterior ones c. 7.5 mm long, free; anthers 1.5 mm long, linear, oblong, basifixed, dehiscence longitudinal. Ovary 4.5-6.5 mm long, oblong cylindric on a gynophore c. 2 mm long; ovules many, on parietal placentae; style 0; stigma capitate. Capsule up to 2.5 × 0.4 cm, elongated cylindric, apex notched, pedicel c. 1.6 cm long. Seeds many, 18-24, c. 2 mm across, rugose, strophiole white, brown, prominent. Flowering and fruiting: April-August.