Pls glabrous, 1-2 m; terminal lfl reniform in outline, to 2 dm wide, deeply cleft into 5-9 lanceolate or oblong, serrate segments; lateral lfls 2-5 pairs, sessile, to 1 dm, shallowly to deeply 3-5-lobed; infl 1-2 dm wide; sep broadly round- ovate; pet mostly 5, rich pink, 2-4 mm; frs glabrous, erect, oblong, 6-8 mm. Low woods and wet prairies or meadows; N.Y. to Minn., s. to N.C. and Ky., and sometimes escaped from cult. elsewhere. June, July.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
This plant is an inhabitant of springy places and prairie swamps. The area covered by reports for the species is from Marshall County southward to the Ohio River Counties. It is frequently cultivated.
