An erect, biennial or annual, hirsute shrub is an annual hibiscus. The two-meter-diameter herbaceous plant has silky, hairy stalks and trails along the ground. The upper leaves are palmately 3 to 7 lobed, while the lower leaves are oblong and sharp. The huge, vividly yellow flowers are typically single and supplementary. The capsules are hispid, oval, and sharp. The sub-reniform, musk-scented seeds are black and sub-reniform. Grani moschi, the Italian name for annual hibiscus seeds, refers to their powerful musk scent. The plant is widely cultivated throughout India, particularly in the Deccan, Karnataka’s hilly regions, and the foothills of the Himalayas. In Hindi, the plant is known as kasturidana and muskadfana, and in Sanskrit, it is known as latakasturi, gandapura, and kasturilatika.