Plants perennial, 30–70 cm, sparsely hirsute. Root fusiform, 3–5 × ca. 0.3 cm. Stem solitary, slender, 3–4-branched. Basal petioles 3–5 cm; blade ternate, rarely simple; leaflets 1–3 × 1–1.5 cm; lateral leaflets cordate-ovate, base subtruncate or bisinuate; terminal leaflets ovate-lanceolate. Cauline leaves simple, cordate-ovate, 2.5–4 × 1.5–2 cm, sessile, 3–4-lobed, lobes lanceolate. Umbels 2.5–6 cm across; bracts usually absent, or 1–3, linear, 2–6 mm; rays 8–15, 1.2–5 cm, unequal, densely hirsute; bracteoles 3–5, linear, 1.5–2.5 mm, ca. equal to or shorter than pedicels; umbellules ca. 8 mm across, 10–20-flowered; pedicels 1–3 mm, unequal. Calyx teeth obsolete Petals white, obovate, apex notched with incurved lobule. Stylopodium conic; styles 1–1.5 × stylopodium, reflexed. Fruit ovoid, ca. 2 × 1.8 mm, base cordate, surface pubescent with short papillae; vittae 1–4 in each furrow, 2–4 on commissure. Seed face plane. Fl. Jul–Aug, fr. Sep–Oct.

See the taxonomic note under Pimpinella candolleana.

Forests, grassy slopes, streamsides; 1000–3500 m. W Sichuan, Yunnan.