Dissotis princeps is a soft, herbaceous shrub, 1.5 m tall. Young stems are angular and the whole plant is covered in short, bristly hairs. The leaves are large, egg-shaped and velvety, dark green above and paler to whitish underneath with 5 conspicuous veins from the base. Old leaves turn red.
Large cerise pink flowers are produced in showy terminal panicles.The spectacular inflorescence is multi-toned; the dark reddish pink calyx encloses the dark purple bud that opens to the paler purple, 5-petalled flowers with their purple and yellow stamens and purplish pink style. It has a very long flowering season.
Dissotis princeps is moisture loving and only semi-hardy. Grows on the edge of ponds in marshy areas. For best results prune back hard in winter and make sure it has sufficient water.