Vines woody. Branches shallowly 4--6-grooved, appressed puberulous, glabrescent. Leaves usually pinnate, 5-foliolate, rarely ternate; petiole 1.5--7.5 cm; leaflet blades ovate, narrowly ovate, broadly ovate, or obovate, 0.5--3.5 × 0.3--3 cm, thin papery, undivided or 3-lobed or rarely 2- or 3-parted or -sect, both surfaces sparsely puberulous, base cuneate to rounded, margin sparsely serrate to denticulate, apex acute; basal veins nearly flat. Flowers 1--5 borne together with several leaves from axillary buds of old branches, 1.5--6.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 2--6(--8) cm, sparsely puberulous. Sepals 4, white or abaxially tinged pinkish, spreading, obovate, 0.7--3.2 × 0.4--2 cm, abaxially puberulous, adaxially glabrous, apex rounded. Stamens 5.5--14 mm, glabrous; anthers narrowly oblong, 1.6--3.2 mm, apex obtuse. Ovaries glabrous or rarely puberulous. Style 5--7 mm, densely villous. Achenes broadly ovate, 4--4.5 × 3.2--3.8 mm, glabrous or rarely puberulous; persistent style 1.5--2.2 cm, plumose. Fl. Apr--Jun, fr. Jun--Oct.

* Forests, slopes, scrub, along streams; 2000--4000 m. S Gansu, W Sichuan, E to SE Xizang, NW Yunnan.