Stems sparsely prickly. Leaf blades: basal and proximal lobed 1/2-2/3 distance to midrib. Inflorescences: sepal horns 3-5 mm, unarmed. Capsules oblong to oblong-ellipsoid, surface clearly visible, prickles widely spaced, equal, 6-8(-l0) mm. 2 n = 28.

Flowering early spring-summer; fruiting late spring-summer. Waste places, roadsides, fields, beaches, dunes, coastal plains; 0-300 m; Ala., Conn., Fla., Ga., Ill., La., Mass., Mich., Miss., Mo., N.Y., N.C., S.C.