Not to be semantically confused with : Greater Burnet-Saxifrage (Pimpinella major) or Pepper Saxifrage (Silaum silaus) [plants belonging to differing families]

This plant is gynodioecious meaning there are female plants, and bisexual plants, which accounts for some differences in the flowers on different plants. It's actual sexuallity is quite complicated with many permutations and half-way houses. See Sex. That said, your Author has been singularly unable to find any photos of the female-only plant amongst his vast collection.

It grows from 10-30cm high in old grasslands such as churchyards, grassy banks, verges avoiding very acidic soils. The stems are near-leafless, but just under the armpits of any stem leaves may be found bulbils. The leaves die off after flowering. Each stem grows from a small compact cluster of half-round basal leaves with round teeth and scattered hairs. The single stem branches with up to 3 to 12 flowers in a loose cluster. The stems are densely covered in shorter sticky glandular hairs.