It is an erect, poisonous shrub with 0.5 - 1.5 m high, scarcely branching. The stem of the base is swollen and global in shape. It is cultivated for ornamental purposes.
The leaf is global spade in shape with 10-25 cm long, three to five-lobed., with a leaf stalk of the same length of the blade. The underside is powdery green, with a wedged or rounded base.
The flowers are in a long-stalked apical cyme with short branches, both flowers and small branches are red in colour. The flowers are fleshy and the petals are oblong-obovate, about 7 mm long and the sepals about 2 mm long. The flowers bloom in May.
The fruits are elliptical capsules.
