Vines perennial, herbaceous or when young sometimes stems erect. Stems and branches 4--6-grooved, acutely 4--6-angulate, pubescent to puberulous, sometimes glabrescent. Basal leaves petiolate, ternate or simple; lower stem leaves 1-ternate or pinnate, rarely simple; upper leaves 1-pinnate or 2-ternate, rarely 1-ternate; petiole 4--11 cm; blades of simple leaves mostly pentagonal; leaflet blades variable in shape, broadly ovate, pentagonal, ovate, or rhombic, occasionally cordate, 1.5--7 × 1--6 cm, papery, often 3-lobed, both surfaces sparsely and occasionally abaxially appressed pubescent, base broadly cuneate to subcordate, margin irregularly dentate to denticulate or rarely entire; basal veins abaxially prominent. Cymes axillary, usually 1--3-flowered, terminal cymes 3--7-flowered; peduncle 1--10(--35) mm, sometimes absent, puberulous; bracts sessile or petiolate, spatulate, lanceolate, ovate, or linear, 0.5--1.5 cm, 3-lobed or undivided. Flowers 0.7--1.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 0.6--5 cm, puberulous. Sepals 4, purple-red, erect, oblong to oblong-ovate, 7--14 × 4--6 mm, abaxially with 2 or 3 narrow longitudinal wings and sparsely pubescent to subglabrous, adaxially glabrous or appressed puberulous, apex obtuse and slightly recurved. Stamens 0.7--1.3 cm; filaments villous; anthers narrowly oblong, ca. 1.2 mm, glabrous, apex obtuse. Ovaries puberulous. Style 6--10 mm, densely villous. Achenes fusiform to narrowly elliptic, ca. 3 × 1.5--2 mm, puberulous; persistent style l. 5--2.5 cm, plumose. Fl. Sep--Oct, fr. Oct--Nov.

* Forests, slopes, scrub, along streams; 500--3000 m. NW Guangxi, W Guizhou, SW Sichuan, C to NW Yunnan.