Caudex carrot-shaped, ca. 6.5 cm, ca. 1 cm in diam. Stem ca. 70 cm, glabrous. Proximal cauline leaves withered at anthesis, distal ones shortly petiolate; petiole ca. 0.8 cm; leaf blade pentagonal, ca. 4.6 × 6 cm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially sparsely appressed pubescent at veins, 3-sect; central segment rhombic, apex acuminate, 3-parted nearly to middle; lateral segments unequally 2-parted. Inflorescence 25--30 cm, ca. 18-flowered; rachis and pedicels glabrous; proximal bracts leaflike, distal ones linear. Pedicels 6--9 cm, with 2 bracteoles at middle or above; bracteoles narrowly lanceolate or narrowly linear, 6--12 cm. Sepals purple, abaxially glabrous; lower sepals ca. 1 cm; lateral sepals 1.4--1.5 cm; upper sepal slightly oblique, navicular, ca. 6.5 mm wide, 1.7--1.8 cm from base to beak. Petals ca. 1.6 cm; claw rarely pubescent, apex subgeniculate; limb glabrous, ca. 5.5 mm; lip ca. 2.5 mm, sparsely pubescent; spur incurved, subglobose, ca. 1 mm. Stamens glabrous; filaments entire or 2-denticulate. Carpels 3--5, glabrous. Fl. Aug.

After publication of the treatment for the FOC, this taxon was treated as Aconitum liljestrandii var. fangianum (W. T. Wang) Y. Luo & Q. E. Yang, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 43(4): 367. 2005.

* Grasslands; ca. 4200 m. NW Sichuan.