Deciduous, erect or suberect, densely suckering and thicket-forming shrub to 2 m high; stems stout and rigid, densely tomentose; armature of large, straight, narrow and slightly flattened prickles or pricklets. Lvs with (2)-3-4 pairs of leaflets; petioles 20-50 mm long, densely tomentose; stipules adnate for most of length, very broad and ± leafy, tomentose, denticulate. Lamina of leaflets 20-50 × 8-30 mm, elliptic or broadly elliptic, rugose, shining, rather dark green and with scattered eglandular hairs above, ± tomentose and with numerous very short glandular hairs beneath; margins serrate or crenate, slightly recurved; base ± rounded; apex obtuse or subacute. Fls 1-4, single (often semi-double or double in cultivation), c. 40-80 mm diam. Pedicels moderately hairy to tomentose, with ± scattered, rigid, straight, glandular hairs. Sepals persistent, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, long-acuminate or spathulate towards apex, tomentose inside, tomentose and with scattered stiff glandular hairs outside; outer sepals entire or with a few small teeth near apex. Petals 35-50 mm long, broadly obovate, deep rosy crimson. Styles free, shortly exserted and forming a large head, hairy. Fr. 20-25 mm across, ± depressed-globose, glabrous, shining deep red.