Shrubs 1.5–3 m tall. Branchlets purple-brown, robust; prickles absent or if present, in pairs below leaves, straight. Leaves including petiole 7–15 cm; stipules broad, mostly adnate to petiole, free parts ovate, usually glabrous, margin glandular serrate, apex shortly acuminate; rachis and petiole villous, sparsely glandular-pubescent, sometimes shortly prickly; leaflets (7 or)9–11(–13), oblong or elliptic-ovate, 2.5–6 cm, abaxially villous, glandular or not, with prominent veins, adaxially glabrous, with concave midvein, base rounded, rarely broadly cuneate, margin simple or doubly serrate, apex acute, rarely rounded-obtuse. Flowers solitary, or 2 or 3 and fasciculate, 3.5–5 cm in diam.; pedicel 1.5–2.5 cm, densely stipitate glandular or not; bracts 1 or 2, long ovate, 1.5–2.5 cm, abaxially puberulous along midvein or glabrous, with prominent midvein and lateral veins, margin glandular-pubescent, apex acuminate. Hypanthium ovoid or long obovoid, densely stipitate glandular. Sepals 5, ovate-lanceolate, 2–3.5(–5) cm, abaxially stipitate glandular, sparsely pubescent or not, adaxially densely pubescent, margin entire, apex long caudate. Petals 5, deep red, obtriangular-obovate, base broadly cuneate, apex emarginate. Styles free, much shorter than stamens, pubescent. Hip purple-red, oblong-ovoid or long obovoid, 1.5–3 × ca. 1.5 cm, stipitate glandular or not, shiny, with a short neck at apex, with persistent, erect sepals. Fl. Jun–Jul, fr. Aug–Nov. 2n = 14.

In populations of Yunnan, the leaves often have 7–9 smaller leaflets and the flowers are smaller, 2.8–3.5 cm in diameter.

Forest margins, scrub, slopes; 2400--3700 m. S Xizang, NE Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Sikkim].