Erect annual or short-lived perennial, sticky herb with a bad smell, up to 180 cm tall; stem striate, sparingly to strongly branched, densely covered with glands. Leaves alternate, digitately 5–9-foliolate; petiole up to 9 cm long; leaflets linear-elliptical, 1–9 cm × 1–5 mm, glandular hairy, decreasing in size upwards. Inflorescence a terminal raceme 10–30(–40) cm long; bracts similar to small leaves but sessile, usually 3–5-foliolate. Flowers bisexual, regular, 4-merous; pedicel up to 1.8 cm long; sepals narrowly lanceolate, 4–12 mm long, glandular pubescent; petals oblong-oblanceolate, up to 2 cm × 4 mm, distinctly clawed at the base for about one third of length, pink to purplish with yellow zone across the middle; stamens usually 10–12, filaments slender, up to 2.5 cm long, subequal, glandular pubescent at base; ovary superior, 1-celled, linear-cylindrical, stalked, glandular pubescent, style 2 mm long, stigma subcapitate. Fruit a cylindrical capsule 6–16 cm × 3–4 mm, stalked up to 2 cm, glandular pubescent, dehiscing with 2 valves. Seeds discoid, 2–2.5 mm in diameter, dark brown, with fine longitudinal striations and pronounced transverse ridges.

PROTAbase: Cleome hirta

The leaves are taken to reduce hypertension and boiled roots and leaves are used to cure measles.