Blood Basin Herb, Luo Han Cao, Po Luo Zi, Po Luo Zi, Dan Ye Bo Luo Zi, Fan Bei Hong, Zhu Sha Cao, Ye Xia Hong, Hong Qing Cai
It is an annual herb with a stout main root and fibrous lateral roots. The stem is slender, purplish-green, 12-32 cm tall, tetragonal, and sparsely hairy. Leaves vary from pinnate compound below to simple above, with serrate margins.
Var. erythrophylla often has larger leaves mostly basal, usually pinnate compound with 1-2 pairs of leaflets, occasionally simple, with serrate margins. The undersides are purple and both surfaces are sparsely to nearly hairless.