Plants 20–40 cm, perennial. Rhizome slender. Stem solitary, erect, tinged purple, especially upper parts and around nodes, base without fibrous remnant sheaths. Basal leaves numerous; blades narrowly spatulate to lanceolate, base tapering into a long petiole. Middle leaves usually in two rows, sessile; blades obovate-lanceolate, 7–12 × 1–1.5 cm, nerves 7–9, base narrow and clasping, apex obtuse-acute, often tinged purple. Upper leaves long-elliptic, 1–4 × 0.5–1 cm. Umbels 2.5–4 cm across, terminal and axillary, base of terminal umbel often bearing a lateral umbel which overtops the terminal; bracts 1, broad-obovate, 5–12 × 2–6 mm, deciduous; rays 5–6, 1.5–2.5 cm, unequal; bracteoles 5, broad-obovate, 4–5 × 2.2–3 mm, apex rounded, mucronate, tinged purple, equaling or slightly shorter than umbellules in fruit; umbellules ca. 8 mm across, 10–14-flowered; pedicels ca. 2 mm. Fruit ovoid or ellipsoid, brown, 3.5–4.5 × 2.5–2.7 mm; ribs thick, pale brown; vittae (3–)4–5 in each furrow, 4–6 on commissure. Fl. and fr. Aug–Oct.

This poorly known taxon is recorded only from a few collections.

Gravelly slopes in sunny places; ca. 2100 m. NE Guizhou (Fanjing Shan).