This native perennial is from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet tall. Lower and mid-stem leaves are usually divided into 3 leaflets while upper ones near the flower are undivided (A,B,E).  All leaves have toothed or lobed margins. The flowers, about 1/2 inch across, have 5 round white petals with pointed green sepals just beneath (A,F).  The dome-shaped center with its developing ovaries and numerous projecting styles is surrounded by a ring of stamens(F). The fruiting heads are spherical, the styles persisting as hooked bristles which stick to fur and clothing (C). In early spring this plant appears as a rosette of purple leaves whose shape and color are very different from the leaves which develop later (D).