It is a shrub growing to 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall, with leaves 5–8 centimetres (2.0–3.1 in) long, ovate to shallowly three-lobed.

The flowers are orange-yellow with a red base, with five petals about 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long.

It is a popular ornamental plant in subtropical gardens or temperate gardens that experience mild winters.

They bloom for months from summer to frost, and they decorate the plant with a profusion of blossoms resembling Chinese lanterns.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.